Longtime Steelers Insider Can't Decide Whether The Team Will Have 12 Or 5 Wins In 2023

No one really knows how the Pittsburgh Steelers' aggressive and active offseason will translate to the field during the 2023 NFL season. It seems as if the offensive line has been restocked, Kenny Pickett is ready to take a leap and the defense is healthy. The new additions of Patrick Peterson, Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Joey Porter Jr (among others) don't hurt either. With one of the easiest strengths of schedules in the entire NFL, the opportunity to have a surprising year and potentially compete in the AFC North is on the table. The team has the pieces in place to make a run.

Pittsburgh is arguably entangled in the toughest division in all of football. Six games combined against the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns is never an easy task, but even more so in 2023 with the amount of talent within the division. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season and that trend should continue if his group can win at least three or four games against their rivals.

Could The Steelers Only Be A Five-Win Team In 2023?

The revamped roster certainly looks impressive on paper. There are very few holes on the depth chart and it's hard to doubt a much-improved season with more than nine wins in 2023. Mark Kaboly, an insider for The Athletic, admitted on Thursday evening that he has absolutely no clue which direction the team is going to go. He's cautiously optimistic, but really can't make up his mind.

Kaboly has covered the Steelers for over two decades and knows the organization from the outside better than most do. It's encouraging to read his thoughts on the roster and front office, but how in the world are only five wins in the topic of conversation? Pittsburgh hasn't had a losing season since 2003 and that would be a drastic nosedive after an incredible offseason.

The Steelers would have to get hit with multiple injuries to key players to lose 12 games. It's not even hard to convince someone at this point that any of the three quarterbacks in Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky or Mason Rudolph could lead the team to nine wins, not to mention six at the very least. The Rudolph and Devlin 'Duck' Hodges-led team in 2019 even managed to sit at .500 when the campaign came to a close.

Pittsburgh also found a way to scratch and claw to above .500 in 2022 despite missing defensive star, TJ Watt for half the season due to a torn pectoral muscle. The roster is much better on paper than a season ago and it seems as if Pickett is ready to take the next step. There is almost no chance that the Steelers end up only winning five games in 2023. It would be the biggest surprise of the NFL season.

Kaboly is known for being a bit sarcastic and likes to trigger fans on social media, but in the tweet above he seems completely serious about his confusion. He has no clue where to set expectations. It would have, however, made more sense for him to say he could see them winning anywhere between nine and 12 games. Predicting a potential five-win season is rather insulting.

There are still months to go until the Steelers put on the pads for games that matter. They have a relatively tough stretch to begin the year, but if the group can, for the most part, remain healthy, a trip back to the playoffs is well within reach. Kaboly is a little off base if he really thinks he has an argument for the organization to only capture five victories in 2023.

Could you see a scenario where the Steelers only win five games? Let us know in the comments below!

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