The Pittsburgh Steelers finished with a better record in 2022 than the Denver Broncos and New York Jets, but were ranked below the two franchises in Colin Cowherd's first top ten AFC rankings of the season. Despite giving the team and head coach, Mike Tomlin a fair share of praise, saying the team "is sneaky good," Cowherd put Pittsburgh in ninth place.
The Herd With Colin Cowherd YouTube
The Steelers found themselves behind the Jets and Broncos largely for not doing anything flashy in the offseason.
According to Cowherd, the Steelers belong in the same tier as the Broncos and Jets. However, he ranked them lower than those two teams due to the significant changes that the organizations made in the offseason. He lauded the Broncos for hiring Sean Payton amongst praise for running back, Javonte Williams and the defense. He also said that with key players like Tim Patrick and Randy Gregory returning from injury, the team should get a jolt.
Although he doesn't approve of the Jets hiring former Broncos Head Coach, Nathaniel Hackett to lead their offense, Cowherd is willing to accept it if it brings Aaron Rodgers comfort. Cowherd is pleased with the return of Alijah Vera-Tucker and Breece Hall's good health to help the offense, but he's concerned about how the young roster will blend with the 40-year-old quarterback.
Recently, Cowherd commended the Steelers' organization and quarterback Kenny Pickett for their handling of the transition from two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. While the young quarterback's development is positive, the organization's performance during the draft was the primary focus of Cowherd's assessment of Pittsburgh's offseason so far.
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Steelers QB Kenny Pickett throws a pass in a win over Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Eve 2022 at Acrisure Stadium.
"At the end of the year, Kenny Pickett played pretty well. I don't know that he's a star," he said. "I thought they had the best draft. They had three needs, and they nailed all of them. I think the first five picks will all play a lot."
His conclusion on the team is that they've built a roster that could do some damage and have a head coach who has yet to suffer a losing season.
Steelers Third In AFC North Team Rankings
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Bengals quarterback, Joe Burrow (#9) makes a throw during a regular season contest in Cincinnati, OH.
The Cincinnati Bengals handed lots of money to tackle Orlando Brown Jr, who the Steelers reportedly tried to sign, which is a big-time upgrade according to Cowherd. He thought the organization addressed the right needs in the draft and was smart to not pay safeties Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell who left for more money and greener pastures. With Joe Burrow as the second-best quarterback in the league behind Patrick Mahomes, according to Cowherd, it only made sense to have their teams ranked one and two.
The Baltimore Ravens were the first in his "I don't love any of these teams, but there are reasons to like all of them tier." The whole offseason for this team has been tied to Lamar Jackson, whether that be finally inking him to a new deal or surrounding him with new weapons. Cowherd likes how they've become a fast team with the additions of Odell Beckham Jr and first-round pick, Zay Flowers. It's still a wait-and-see-what-happens situation with new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, but Cowherd is a fan of the defense and John Harbaugh.
The Cleveland Browns, entering the second year of the Deshaun Watson experiment, were nowhere to be found on the list. That doesn't mean the team could still be dangerous. They still have plenty of game-breakers in Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, and Nick Chubb.
What do you think of the Steelers' spot on Cowherd's list? Comment below!
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