The Pittsburgh Steelers have had plenty of bulletin board material provided by opponents over the years, but when it happens within the AFC North it can get personal very quickly. The Cincinnati Bengals have brutally mocked the Terrible Towel by pretending to tear it and then by wiping their cleats with it following a Steelers loss so it isn't like the members of the Black and Gold have thin skin or inexperience to this kind of trash-talking, but the Baltimore Ravens are something entirely different.
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Steelers rival Cincinnati Bengals running back Samaje Perine during a game
Steelers Used Offseason To Build For AFC North
Throughout the offseason, Omar Khan and Andy Weidl have built a team that won't shy away from the more bruising matchups that are sure to come against AFC North opponents. The offensive line has gotten bigger and more versatile, the defensive trenches have bulk behind it, and to top it all off, the Steelers added several impactful, tall and strong cornerbacks in Patrick Peterson, Joey Porter Jr., and Corey Trice Jr.
It has been quite some time since the Steelers were able to field one big-bodied, athletic cornerback, so to have a trio brought into the locker room truly shores up the sidelines and coverages that have lacked in years past. With every move, it became more and more apparent that the Steelers were gearing up not only for a full-season journey but to stop the storyline of anyone else being at the top of the AFC North.
However, it seems that at least one person didn't get the message: Lamar Jackson.
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Steelers rival Lamar Jackson walks onto the field during a game
Steelers Additions Ignored By Jackson's Comments
For a while there it looked like the Ravens wouldn't be going into the 2023 season with Jackson under center, but in the lead-up to the NFL Draft, Jackson announced a successful contract negotiation with the Ravens that would ensure some stability for the near future.
The Steelers aren't the only AFC North team that has made moves with Baltimore bringing in Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor. The Cincinnati Bengals signed star offensive lineman, Orlando Brown Jr. to protect Joe Burrow, and the Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson another target by signing former New York Jets receiver, Elijah Moore and retained their center, Ethan Pocic. Of all the moves made, though, the Steelers are the ones who truly seemed to have a plan in place and that plan was to be competitive and more in the division.
When Jackson had his press conference to officially welcome him back into the Baltimore fold, he did so with a fire and gusto that everyone in Baltimore was undoubtedly hoping for. In doing so, though, Jackson made it quite clear that he considers his own weapons a much bigger threat than anything the Steelers may have brought in:
"I want to throw for like 6,000 yards with the weapons we have. I'm not an individual award-type guy or a stat watcher. I just want to do that because no one has ever done it and I feel like we have the weapons to do it."
The Ravens spent over $26 million on their new receiving options for Jackson, and it was not cheap to ensure a few more years of the Lamar Era (5 years, $260 million), but how much can Jackson's words be backed up on the field?
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Steelers draft pick Joey Porter Jr will continue having his home games in Pennsylvania
Steelers Revel In Ravens' Underwhelming Passing Past
While it is true that the addition of Beckham Jr. is sure to attract attention, it would take a massive leap in production for the Ravens' offense to match the heights Jackson claimed he was aiming for in 2023.
The only pass catcher Baltimore has that can still be considered a consistent game changer is tight end, Mark Andrews, who has been among the top at his position year in and year out when healthy. When you start bringing the wide receivers into the picture, though, the positivity wanes quite a bit.
Over the last four years, the Ravens have managed to either be at the bottom of the league in wide receiver yards per game or teetering on the bottom third (2019 - Last, 2020 - Last, 2021 - 19th, 2022 - Last). That doesn't even take into account that Jackson has yet to surpass 3,200 passing yards in a season during his career (3,127 yards in 2019), so 6,000 is a wild thought even for someone with the multi-pronged talent that he has.
Jackson may truly believe what he said at his press conference, but as you can see, there is a wide gap between what is believed and what is actually realistic. The Steelers are looking forward to showing Jackson just how far off from his project he will end up being!
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