The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2025 offseason with a few desires, including one where they would be more dynamic on the offensive side of the ball. To do that, they acquired DK Metcalf in a trade to add some more explosiveness to this unit. They also used a third-round pick to select their own version of Joe Mixon to help with the running game in Kaleb Johnson. Now, they just need to figure who their starting quarterback will be so they can put all the pieces together and make a cohesive unit.
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Steelers' offensive line against the Falcons in Week 1 of 2024.
While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, insider James Palmer revealed what he was told by multiple NFL defensive coordinators during the 2024 season that made the Steelers want to fix the offense.
"The predictability of [the offense] that I was hearing from defensive coordinators when Russell Wilson was running it would essentially be picked on," said Palmer.
The Steelers have had this issue for many years now, dating back to when Ben Roethlisberger had elbow surgery and missed almost all of the 2019 season. Even with new players and new offensive coaches, they are still wildly predictable when trying to move the ball. Russell Wilson was past his prime by the time he landed in Pittsburgh, and his limitations hurt the offense constantly.
Wilson had two settings: checkdowns and moonballs down the sideline. That's not too hard to defend, especially when you never have to worry about the middle of the field. There was very little creativity in that scenario. The play-action game was at least better than in previous years, but the fact that that is considered progress is an unfortunate testament to how poorly the offense executed before Wilson got there.
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Former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson gets ready to throw the ball during an away game in the 2024 season.
The run game also had its faults. It was no secret that they wanted to establish the run, but that was part of the reason why it struggled. Najee Harris may be a quality power back, but that doesn't matter when the box is always stacked to shut him down. The fact that he regularly had 1,000-yard rushing seasons with roughly four yards per carry shows how much the team wanted to try something that obviously did not work consistently enough.
Steelers' Quarterback Situation Still Plagues Team In 2025
If Wilson's limitations were a big reason why the Steelers' offense was too predictable, how could another past-prime quarterback like Aaron Rodgers make things any different? Palmer's sources think that he would actually be a direct upgrade to what Pittsburgh had in 2024.
"There are definitely people around the league that think [Aaron Rodgers] can add to this offense and have it operate at a higher level than it was a season ago," said Palmer.
Palmer also mentioned that people believe that Rodgers got in a groove as the season came to a close in 2024, especially since his top options had gotten healthy by then. They think that he can thrive with high-end targets like Metcalf and George Pickens running deep down the field and taking advantage of smaller defensive backs in the process.
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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, George Pickens (14) makes a big time catch against the Baltimore Ravens.
The irony of this is that both Metcalf and Pickens don't do a lot of elite route running across the middle of the field. They both are at their best when they run straight down the sidelines, which is exactly what caused the offense to be predictable in the first place. Wilson did not use the middle of the field often, and even after letting him walk in free agency, the Steelers chose to build the offense around a scheme that he would thrive in.
What do you think about the Steelers being predictable offensively last season? Can Rodgers help fix that if he decides to eventually sign in Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments below, or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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