The Pittsburgh Steelers closed out the 2022 season on an impressive 7-2 run that was fueled by TJ Watt's return and a much-improved running game. It seemed to be a generally accepted truth that the Steelers had the most improved offensive line performance from preseason rankings through Week 18, yet when they are put up against the other teams in the AFC North, even the most accepted truths are easily forgotten.
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Steelers lineman Mason Cole
Steelers Offensive Line Improvements Overlooked In Division
Apparently, unless you signed Orlando Brown Jr. or managed to get your franchise, dual-threat quarterback to re-sign with the team (Baltimore Ravens' quarterback, Lamar Jackson), the investments made in the trenches don't count on the big stage; at least according to Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Network.
The new names on the Pittsburgh offensive line are becoming more and more well-known to the fanbase and for good reason. The mind of Andy Weidl and the strategy brought in by Omar Khan gave the Steelers an avenue back to their smash-mouth roots. Isaac Seumalo (6'3", 304 pounds), Nate Herbig (6'4", 334 pounds), and Le'Raven Clark (6'5", 319 pounds) were all brought in to give the offensive line size and a level of power that was missing for quite some time in Pittsburgh.
The bells rang out when Broderick Jones (6'5", 311 pounds) became the Steelers' first-round draft pick, making it even clearer that the team wanted massive bodies with athletic ability across the line.
It almost comes across as a lazy ranking by PFN because the Steelers went back to the drawing board and used the running game to vault the team from a woeful, high-draft-pick team at midseason (27th-ranked run game) to a team with real momentum going for them (16th ranked run game). Making the 11-spot upward move didn't move the needle much for these pundits, though as that is precisely where the Steelers remain in spite of the four new offensive linemen mentioned earlier (Seumalo, Herbig, Clark, and Jones).
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Steelers' new guard Isaac Seumalo is proof of assistant GM Andy Weidl's influence on free agency.
Steelers Judged Harshly Against Opponents
No one should be surprised that Pro Football Network ranked the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive line as the number one in the NFL, but when you look at the big picture it seems as though very little respect is being given to a dynamically retooled group in Pittsburgh.
Compared to the Steelers, who sit at 16th on the PFN rankings, the Los Angeles Chargers are ranked 12th overall, despite only managing 1,524 rushing yards in 2022 (third worst in the NFL). The strange rankings continue, with three other teams ranked higher than the Steelers despite finishing 2022 with less yardage on the ground. The Cincinnati Bengals, Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Minnesota Vikings are all higher on the PFN list than the Steelers, and each one finished lower than the Steelers did.
The final 2022 rushing rankings do not take the current offseason moves into account and considering the Steelers are among the consensus victors for improvements to their trenches, it seems the results haven't reached everyone..
Within the AFC North alone, the Steelers sit dead last at 16th with the Cleveland Browns at second overall, the Ravens at sixth, and the Bengals at third in the division and 13th on the list.
The topsy-turvy nature of this offensive line list refuses to stop (making the Steelers' middling rank even less legitimate by the moment). Sitting at 14th on the rankings are the Chicago Bears, who absolutely struggled in 2022 when it came to being competitive, but their 3,014 rushing yards were the most in the NFL for 2022. Either Justin Fields is much better than any of us know, or those thousands of yards had nothing to do with the Bears' blocking ability.
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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris jumps over the goal line during an NFL game against the Denver Broncos on Oct. 10, 2021, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
Steelers Fuel For 2023 Comes From Within
For some reason, it looked like this was the year when the lack of gray area would dissipate from around the Steelers - the need to either love or hate them, without a middle ground. However, even from the most unbiased perspective possible, saying out loud that the Steelers still have an offensive line in the lower half of the NFL isn't only insulting, it makes one wonder what went into the system that spat out these rankings.
When the regular season kicks off, it will be up to Najee Harris, Kenny Pickett, the wonderfully rebuilt offensive line, and a dynamic offense to prove each and every one of these rankings wrong, but for the moment - as you can plainly see - not every slam should be taken seriously, and others even less.
