There is no doubt that the Pittsburgh Steelers will have one of the better defenses in the NFL thanks to T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Cameron Heyward and co. The unit will help keep an unfamiliar offense in games throughout the course of the season. They won't let the offense off the hook, though. The Steelers will have new faces at wide receiver and on the offensive line, and of course, at quarterback. Football is a team sport. All 11 players matter on each side of the ball, but let's take a look at what offensive positions have the most on their shoulders for the 2022 season.
1.) Offensive Line
While the NFL is a quarterback-driven league, the Steelers offensive line struggled last year. Pat Meyer will step in as the team's new offensive line coach while Kevin Colbert added center, Mason Cole and right guard, James Daniels to help bolster the unit. The offense only averaged 91.1 rushing yards per game last year which was 30th in the NFL.
The offense has plenty of weapons, but it will only go as far as the offensive line takes it. An improvement from Dan Moore Jr. and Chukwuma Okorafor will be pivotal for the line as well. Najee Harris has a chance to be an All-Pro running back and a strong rushing attack will take the pressure off whichever guy is running the offense from the quarterback position.
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2.) Quarterback
The expectation is that Mitch Trubisky will get the nod to start the season, but will he have a short leash? The quarterback position is much different than when the Steelers drafted Ben Roethlisberger back in 2004. It seems near impossible to make a deep playoff run without a top tier quarterback.
The offense has plenty of weapons with Harris, Pat Freiermuth, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and a couple rookies in George Pickens and Calvin Austin III that could turn into stars. The top quarterbacks in the league would make all of these guys look like All-Pro caliber players. That is why it is so crucial for the signal caller in 2022 to utilize the weapons he has at his disposal for this offense to take a leap forward.
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3.) Wide Receiver
This group has all the talent in the world, but can it display that on the field with what is likely to be a a new face at quarterback in Pittsburgh? Johnson and Claypool accounted for over 50% of the teams receiving yards last season. Freiermuth and Harris were 3rd and 4th in the category, respectively. James Washington, had just 285 yards in the air as the team's third receiver.
To put that in perspective, Kansas City Chiefs' third option at the position, Byron Pringle, had almost 600 yards receiving in 2021. The Steelers need more out of this group and it has to come from the rookies. The NFL is a pass first league. This unit needs to take the load off of Harris out of the backfield and be feared by opposing defenses.
4.) Running Back
To me, there is no pressure on Harris after a stellar rookie season. Unless the Steelers sign a running back like Justin Jackson in free agency, there is no reason to believe that Harris won't be the guy to have 400 or more touches again this season. Barring injury, he will put up great numbers and continue to be a workhorse for the offense.
He lands at #4 on this list because if the top three positions excel, Harris' job will be quite easy and he will put up even better numbers than he did during his rookie season. The second year back is just going to get better.
5.) Tight End
It is hard to put the tight end position anywhere, but last. While Freiermuth is going to be a crucial part of the offense, his success isn't necessarily going to lead to the offense succeeding as a whole. Zach Gentry will play a role as well, but the top two tight ends need to block efficiently and be open on third downs and in the red zone. If the offense is clicking all around, this group could be a secret weapon once opposing defenses focus on the main skill positions.
What positions do you think are most important for this year's Steelers offense? Let us know in the comments below!
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