With the offseason in full swing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, there is a lot of work to do if the organization is truly tired of the lack of success in January. With multiple holes in their roster, the front office has their work cut out for them. With many eyes focused on the quarterback position, some are overlooking a need that could help turn the tide defensively. It wasn't a secret that the Steelers were getting manhandled at the line of scrimmage on defense. They couldn't create pressure in the pass game and allowed too many chunk plays on the ground, letting drives stay alive. It could be time that Omar Khan starts investing more in the defensive line as he did with the offensive line in his first two years as general manager.
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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball downfield against the Steelers in 2024.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo discussed the state of the Steelers' defensive line struggles in his recent Steelers Chat. While many people saw the Philadelphia Eagles successfully rushing just four against Patrick Mahomes Sunday's Super Bowl, many Steelers fans are left wondering why it worked for them and not for Pittsburgh.
"Too small or not good enough," said Fittipaldo about the Steelers' defensive line. "The Eagles' backup defensive line are better than anyone the Steelers have other than Cam Heyward."
The Eagles have an invested a lot in their defensive line and it has shown. In most recent years, they drafted Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter with their first round picks in the 2022 and 2023 drafts. Already having established guys like Milton Williams and Josh Sweat from their previous draft classes, the Eagles' defensive line became one of the most feared this past season. If the Steelers' end goal is getting back into Super Bowl contention, it's time for Khan to take a page from Howie Roseman.
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Howie Roseman celebrating the Philadelphia Eagles winning Super Bowl LIX.
The Steelers' bread and butter is their defense, it's not an unknown fact about the organization. Since the Steel Curtain days, the organization has always had a fixation on being known as a hard hitting, defensive club. The Steelers led the NFL in defensive spending by almost $20 million more than the second highest spending team, but still had problems controlling the line of scrimmage -- and it starts with the line.
The Steelers in recent years have not been using their draft capital to build their defensive trenches. They haven't spent a first round pick on the defensive line since 2011 when they drafted Cam Heyward with the 31st pick. Not to mention they have only used two of their day two picks on the line in the last five years. If they want to replicate what the Eagles did in the 2024 season, then it's time to spend higher draft picks on that area.
The line isn't the only pressing matter for the Steelers this offseason. With questions of who is going to lead the offense out next season and adding quality weapons for them is a larger problem. Khan hopes to have answers for a few of those concerns in free agency and with players looking for a change of scenery, this could open up the door for him to use his first round pick on the defensive side of the ball.
Steelers Must Invest In Their Defensive Line In The Draft
If the Steelers want to continue being feared defensively, they know what they must do. The Eagles laid out the blueprint for them, they just need to follow it. With Heyward aging and Larry Ogunjobi's future with the team in question for the 2025 season, Khan's focus could be more on the defensive line than what most people expected.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line.
It could be time to find their guy that can fill the shoes that Heyward will eventually leave behind, but could also make an immediate impact right when they walk through the door this summer.
Should the Steelers use their first round pick on a defensive lineman? If so, who should they draft? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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