The Pittsburgh Steelers front office put a heavy emphasis on improving the depth along the offensive line in the 2023 offseason. The team brought in several veteran players with NFL game experience in free agency, highlighted by Isaac Seumalo, who played a vital role in the Philadelphia Eagles' trip to the Super Bowl last season. The team is getting noticed for the upgrades and jumped up four spots from their final rank in Pro Football Focus's (PFF) first 2023 power rankings.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' new guard Isaac Seumalo brings championship experience to help push the team's offensive line to a new level in 2023.
The Steelers' rank fell right in the middle of the final 2022 list done by PFF at number 16. While the unit got a bad rap according to some analysts last year, improvements in the second half of the season combined with the offseason retool has the team moving up to number 12 in the newest edition released on Tuesday.
Writer Sam Monson pointed out the team finished seventh last year by the site's pass block efficiency rating, but needed work in the run game. The team finished 14th in run block win rate in 2022 according to ESPN Analytics. Guard James Daniels was the only member of Pittsburgh's offensive line who finished in the top 10 in pass block win rate with 95%. No Steelers in 2022 finished in the top 10 for run block rate, but free agent signee Nate Herbig, who was with the New York Jets last season, tied for the fourth-best league-wide as a guard.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers left tackle Dan Moore Jr. is in a fight for his starting left tackle spot with 2023 first-rounder Broderick Jones.
Dan Moore Jr. is doing everything he can to hold down the starting left tackle spot he's held since the start of 2021. Pittsburgh's first-round selection in 2023, Broderick Jones, looks to be the long-term answer at the position, but opinions are split on whether he will overtake Moore in time for the season opener at Acrisure Stadium. While he may just be sticking up for a buddy, Kevin Dotson said he doesn't think Jones plays in year one. Seumalo recently said the opposite and that Jones has the rare tools to jump in and succeed in his rookie season. Monson penciled in Jones to start, but this is one of the biggest storylines to continue following as the team enters its mandatory minicamp phase of the offseason.
Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers rookie offensive tackle Broderick Jones participates in organized team activities at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
As part of the rankings, Monson was naming each team's best offensive lineman. For Pittsburgh, there was a tie for the top spot. While the team is hoping that someday soon the answer to this question will simply be Jones (who has franchise-changing-like potential), for now, it's a little tougher. Monson said there is not a "clear cut standout" amongst the group and decided to split the honor between the two guards Seumalo and Daniels.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers guard James Daniels runs through drills at the team's South Side facility.
Steelers Place 3rd Among AFC North Teams
John Kuntz / Cleveland.com
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) prepares to throw a pass as Cleveland Browns guard Joel Bitonio (75) blocks Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt
The AFC North has an abundance of talent on the offensive lines and a pair of units in the top five. The Cleveland Browns unit struggled last year, but the talent is too hard to ignore which was why Monson ranked them second behind the Eagles. The group's leader, Joel Bitonio, is one of the top guards in the league. He has back-to-back First Team All-Pro nods and has made the Pro Bowl in five consecutive seasons. Monson also highlighted a career year last season for center Ethan Pocic, allowing just 10 pressures the whole year. He'll be back next year to keep the full unit intact.
The Baltimore Ravens will have to deal with the loss of guard Ben Powers who cashed in on a career year by signing a big deal with the Denver Broncos. Still, they have a formidable group that was the least penalized group in 2022 and rank fourth overall to start 2023. Ronnie Stanley is the leader of the group and continues to be one of the league's dominant pass blockers.
The Cincinnati Bengals line got reworked this offseason and jumped up 11 spots from their final 2022 ranking to slot in at 14. Tackle Orlando Brown Jr. returns to the AFC North after his two-year stint with the Kansas City Chiefs to become Joe Burrow's blindside protector. The team will try experimenting with 2022 left tackle Jonah Williams moving to the right side after he struggled in 2022.
Is this a fair ranking for the Steelers' offensive line? Do you agree with the order of the AFC North units? Comment below!
#SteelerNation
