Three Areas Where The Steelers' Roster Has Significantly Improved Heading Into 2023

The 2023 offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers has been nothing short of extraordinary. A ton of moves were made both in free agency as well as the NFL Draft. Going into the offseason there were several glaring needs that the team would need to address in order to help round out the roster heading into the 2023 season and that's exactly what happened. 

It was current General Manager, Omar Khan and Assistant General Manager, Andy Weidl's first offseason together in their respective positions and they both knocked it out of the park in order to create a competitive roster that has all of Steeler Nation eager to see how far this team can go. Below are three positions or positional groups that vastly improved over the last few months for the Steelers. 

Do The Steelers Still Have Any Major Needs To Address?

Inside Linebacker

The Steelers' defense seemingly has had the same glaring need ever since the tragic injury of former first-round pick Ryan Shazier in 2017, and that's inside linebacker. Over the years, the team has made several moves to try and right the ship, but nothing has seemed to work, with the 2022 season being no different. 

Former 2020 first-round pick, Devin Bush was brought in to potentially be that Shazier replacement, but after four rather disappointing seasons, Bush is out of town after signing with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency. Starting alongside Bush in 2022 was Myles Jack, who is still a free agent after signing a two-year deal with the team last offseason, only to be released back in March.

The duo of Bush and Jack had plenty to be excited about heading into the season, but that hype was very short lived. Now Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts enter the mix and are slated to be the starters for 2023. The Steelers brought in both Holcomb and Roberts back in March to kick off the free agency cycle. 

There is also a chance that the team brings in another name or two before training camp gets underway this summer. Some are speculating that Jack could sign a more team friendly contract if there aren't other suitors around the league interested in his services. Others have also been linking 10-year NFL veteran Kyle Van Noy to the Steelers, who is also still on the market.

Cornerback  

The Steelers cornerback room is another one that went through a complete overhaul heading into 2023. Several new names will take on a major role. Some of the key highlights include the team signing former All-Pro, Patrick Peterson to a two-year, $14 million contract. This was a major signing after the team lost former top corner, Cameron Sutton to the Detroit Lions. To help compliment Peterson, the team also went out and brought in rookies Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. in April's draft. 

As many already know, Porter Jr. is coming into the league with pretty high expectations. Almost everyone had him being a first-round selection, but ended up falling into the Steelers' lap with the 32nd pick to kick off the second round. He has a lot to learn, but most would expect him to be starting alongside Peterson once the regular season kicks off this September. Trice Jr. on the other hand is coming in as a seventh-round pick, but many around the league had him graded much higher. He still has a great chance to make the final roster and contribute.

During the draft the team also went out and signed former Minnesota Vikings slot corner, Chandon Sullivan. Along with these new names; Levi Wallace, Ankello Witherspoon, Arthur Maulet, and James Pierre still remain on the roster heading into training camp to round out this new, and much improved, cornerback room.

Left Tackle 

Left tackle is arguably both the most obvious, and most significant, upgrade of the 2023 offseason with the selection of Broderick Jones in the first round of this year's draft. Jones will come in and look to replace former 2021 fourth-round pick Dan Moore Jr., who's been at the position the last two seasons.

Regardless, the combination of Moore Jr. and guard Kevin Dotson on the left side of the line has been about as unsuccessful as you could get recently. Writer, Dan Lolley for Steelers.com had this to say about how Jones is the perfect fit for what the team is looking to build up front.

"A better run blocker than pass blocker, Jones has elite movement for the position, getting to the second level with ease. He also finishes well, showing a mean streak when it comes to driving opposing defenders out of the play... Still just 21, Jones did not have a holding penalty in his college career and had just one false start. Moore had nine overall penalties last season and five in his rookie season."

Changes had to be made, and that's just what the team did. Jones comes into the fold and similar to Porter Jr., is expected to take over the starting role come September. The same goes for former Philadelphia Eagles guard, Isaac Seumalo, who was also brought in during free agency to seemingly compete with Dotson for the starting spot next to Jones. 

Final Thoughts 

It's always tough to judge a roster and rookie draft picks before the pads go on, but most would agree that Khan and Weidl both have put together a much more complete roster this season compared to last. Exciting times are ahead for the Steelers and all of Steeler Nation. The pieces have been put in place, now it's time to see if this team can put it all together and take the next step to get back to the playoffs and compete for that seventh Lombardi Trophy. 

How do you feel about the current state of the Steelers' roster? Any positions you have some concerns about? Be sure to leave a comment down below and let us know your thoughts!