Steelers’ Interesting 2023 Offseason Begins Before Upcoming Combine

The Pittsburgh Steelers accomplished their main goal in the 2022 offseason by drafting quarterback Kenny Pickett with the 20th overall pick in the draft. As we continue to move forward in the 2023 offseason, we’ll look at what the Steelers current situation is in terms of picks, team needs, the new front office regime and the possible moves to be made in free agency.

Steelers Picking Early In 2023 Draft

Many Steelers fans, myself included, don’t like to remember how the team was playing in the first half of the 2022 season. Slated towards the bottom of the league with a 2-6 record, the Steelers front office knew that a change needed to be made to try and “right the ship” and salvage the season. Ultimately, Pittsburgh made the decision to trade wide receiver Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears in exchange for their 2023 second-round pick.

"It was a tough decision," Steelers president Art Rooney II said. "We obviously drafted Chase high and had high hopes for him. But we were at a point where, weighing all the positives and negatives of it, it seemed to make sense. So, we pulled the trigger on it."

There was quite a bit of skepticism at the time as to whether or not this move was going to pay dividends in the long run. As luck would have it, this trade currently seems to be a “steal of a deal.” The Bears would finish with the worst record in the league, meaning they would have the first overall pick of each round. The pick the Steelers received in the trade ended up being the 32nd pick as a result. Couple that with the Miami Dolphins forfeiting their first-round pick due to tampering violations and basically Pittsburgh will have an additional first round pick.

Now that the Steelers have two “first-round picks” with number 17 and 32, and an early second round pick at number 47 overall, the question now becomes a matter of preference in terms of team needs.

Prioritizing Positional Needs

The Steelers have a few holes that need to be filled in order for the team to make the jump to true playoff contenders. One area that should be bolstered would be the offensive line. Low blocking ratings, numerous penalties and allowing multiple sacks are where the problems begin. By far the worst issue is having Pickett get two concussions during the season. This can’t be allowed to happen in 2023, which is why Pittsburgh needs to select an offensive lineman.

A player like Peter Skoronski from Northwestern University would be ideal, but the likelihood he falls to 17 isn’t realistic. Other potential names that could be good fits would be Broderick Jones from Georgia or Paris Johnson Jr. out of Ohio State. If none of these players are available, then perhaps the Steelers will look to another position of need.

Besides the offensive line, Pittsburgh is in the market for a cornerback. Longtime lockdown corner Joe Haden retired in September of 2022, and the team has been looking for his successor. Cam Sutton did well this past season, but his status with the team is undetermined due to contract negotiations with no guarantee if he’ll return to the Steelers or hit the free agency market. So why not look at drafting a potential CB1?

Many draft boards have the Steelers selecting Joey Porter Jr. with the 17th pick. He would fill the cornerback position, but the Steelers might select him for more than just that reason. Porter Jr. has connections to the Steelers through his father who played in the black and gold for eight seasons and helped win Super Bowl XL. Perhaps history could repeat itself in the Steel City if Pittsburgh decides to go this route, which they very well could with the new regime in place.

Will Khan and Weidl Change Pre-Draft Process?

For over 20 years, Kevin Colbert was the man making a majority of the decisions for the Steelers as the team’s general manager. Now that torch has been passed to Omar Khan and his assistant general manager Andy Weidl. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will remain involved in the draft process as usual, but Khan and Weidl are already making changes in the way Pittsburgh is preparing for the draft.

"We're seeing changes already in the way Omar and Andy [Weidl] are preparing for the draft," Rooney II said, coy about specifics. "Those guys have their own ways of doing things that are a little different from Kevin [Colbert]. Everybody's a little different. Certainly, we'll see some changes in the approach to the draft. Just some of the things we're doing already this time of year are different. Having said that, Kevin had a pretty successful run. So, there are a lot of different ways to get it done, right? I like the way Omar is going about it so far."

Khan having Weidl as his partner for the draft process is going to be huge benefit for him and the Steelers. Weidl is viewed as the one largely responsible for turning the Philadelphia Eagles into Super Bowl contenders with his last three draft classes that include prominent names like Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Jordan Davis, and Landon Dickerson. Meanwhile Khan himself is viewed as a mastermind when it comes to the salary cap, which will be very helpful for the impending free agency.

Free Agency Factors

If the Steelers aren’t able to fill the gaps on the roster through the draft, then the next logical step would be to peruse the free agent market. Considering some of the names that will be available, Pittsburgh would greatly benefit from acquiring some big names, which include a couple former Steelers.

After making it to the Super Bowl with their respective teams, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave are going to be hitting free agency. It would make for a nice “feel good” story to have either or both of those two make a return to the team that drafted them, but a reunion is probably not in the cards. Hargrave will most likely want more money than Pittsburgh can afford, and Smith-Schuster probably doesn’t want to leave Kansas City after winning a Super Bowl. There are other players aside from those two that the Steelers could look at, primarily for depth at a couple crucial positions.

After star edge rusher TJ Watt went down due to injury, it was evident that the Steelers didn’t have a lot of depth at that position outside of Alex Highsmith. While it is another former Steeler, it could be a good idea to bring back Bud Dupree. Dupree isn’t actually a free agent at the moment, but he could be cut as a cap casualty by the Tennessee Titans in the next few weeks. Having him back would provide some security should either Watt or Highsmith ever go down for a long period of time.

Another position that the Steelers should address in free agency is backup quarterback. It’s been said that both Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph will most likely be looking to move on from Pittsburgh in the off-season. We know that there are currently two big name quarterbacks available in Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo, but to pay either of them to be Pickett’s backup would be worse than the contract for Trubisky at $8 Million. But is it possible to bring in a former division rival in Baker Mayfield?

Mayfield was a decent starter in his tenure for the Cleveland Browns but wasn’t quite the same when he was traded to the Carolina Panthers. Mayfield struggled in Carolina before being cut and later picked up by the Los Angeles Rams. If Mayfield isn’t resigned by the Rams, he could fit in with the Steelers. He’s still young at just 27 years old and has five years of experience playing in the league. Mayfield could be that seasoned vet behind Pickett to help the team out in times of need.

What do you think of the Steelers potential offseason plans? Let us know in the comments or on social media.

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