The Pittsburgh Steelers culminated their “crash and burn” end to the season with a 28-14 loss against the Baltimore Ravens in the wildcard round of the playoffs. Now, the Steelers enter the offseason with a long to-do list as they approach a bit of a crossroads for their intermediate future. They can fully embrace a rebuild, which they have been putting off since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Or, they can keep winning 8-10 games each year, maybe make the playoffs but lose in the first round, and remain in football purgatory.
Top 5 Steelers Offseason Needs, Ranked
Commit to the Rebuild
The first thing the Steelers front office needs to do this offseason is fully commit to rebuilding. They are simply not a good enough team to just make some small tweaks around the edges and be competitive in the AFC next year. Pittsburgh’s rebuild should have started when Ben Roethlisberger started his end-of-career decline. Instead, they stuck themselves with the stopgap quarterback after the stopgap quarterback and mediocre rosters good enough to go .500 every year.
Some Steelers fans say they are ready for the rebuild to begin this offseason, but they might not fully grasp what a rebuild entails. A rebuild doesn’t just mean going 5-12 next year, drafting a franchise quarterback in the 2026 draft, and being right back on track. Rather, a rebuild consists of potentially trading players like Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alex Highsmith, or maybe even T.J. Watt. While all of those players have been great contributors in Pittsburgh, Omar Khan, and company would be wise to at least test the market for the team’s key veterans.
Figure Out the Quarterback Situation
It’s no secret that success in the modern NFL runs through having an elite quarterback. There are very rare exceptions and the Steelers shouldn’t try to be one of them. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are both set to be free agents this offseason. While both guys showed promise this year, neither is the kind of quarterback that can carry a good but not great roster to a Super Bowl.
For starters, under no circumstances should Pittsburgh sign Wilson to an extension. While there was a stretch where Wilson looked like he could potentially make the Steelers competitors in the AFC, he crashed back down to earth as Pittsburgh ended their season on a five-game losing streak. At 36 years old, Wilson certainly isn’t the team’s quarterback of the future. And he showed over the last month of the season that he shouldn’t be their quarterback of the present, either.
The obvious answer for the Steelers at quarterback is to sign Justin Fields two a one or two-year extension, hand him the reigns next year, and see what he can do. He likely isn’t a franchise quarterback, or he would have shown it by this point in his career, but Pittsburgh has nothing to lose by giving him a chance. If he excels, great, they can try building a contender around him. And if he flops, the Steelers likely find themselves picking in the top 10 of the 2026 NFL Draft, which is expected to have a strong quarterback class.
Revamp the Coaching Staff
It has already been reported that the Steelers will not move on from Mike Tomlin this offseason despite their playoff win drought growing another year longer. With Tomlin set to return as head coach, Pittsburgh desperately needs to surround him with better assistants. The Steelers notoriously don’t spend a lot of money on their coaching staff, and it shows when the team seems unprepared week after week.
Getting the big moves out of the way, Arthur Smith and Teryl Austin should both be out as offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively. Under Smith, the Steelers’ offense regressed in several areas compared to 2023, despite having better quarterback play. Notably, Pittsburgh had the 29th-best red zone offense under Smith, a disaster that cannot continue for another year.
Under Arthur Smith, I was confident the Steelers 1st down offense – miserable for years – would improve.
It’s only gotten worse. Pittsburgh finished last in yards per 1st down, worse than the past 2 years under Matt Canada. #Steelers https://t.co/ykhFztVyRQ pic.twitter.com/TaNgDWJAHW
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) January 7, 2025
Defensively, the Steelers were a complete mess during their five-game losing streak. Despite spending more money on their defense than any team in the NFL, Pittsburgh sported the number 14 red zone defense and had the 25th-ranked passing defense. The Steelers constantly had communication lapses on the defensive side of the ball, which can be chalked up to a lack of preparation. After a disappointing season, Teryl Austin needs to go.
Some lower-level assistant coaches should be on the chopping block, too. The first that comes to mind is offensive line coach Pat Meyer. In 2024, Meyer oversaw the major regression of Broderick Jones, along with a general lack of discipline and quality of play from the offensive line. Wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni and secondary coach Grady Brown could be replaced given the lack of production from their respective units.
Add Talent at Wide Receiver
On the topic of a lack of production from Steelers wide receivers, the front office needs to bring some real talent into the room. This year, they had a legit WR1 with George Pickens, with no real WR2 behind him. The lack of depth was evident as the Steelers passing offense completely stagnated when Pickens missed a couple of games with a hamstring injury. Omar Khan went all-in on Brandon Aiyuk last offseason, failed, and let the team down in the process.
Calvin Austin III had a quality season and should be a key contributor for the Steelers next year. Beyond him, though, Pittsburgh’s receiver room should look very different come next season. Roman Wilson will be back from injury and will hopefully be productive as a slot receiver. The team needs a legit WR2 to pair with Pickens. Ideally, they will add talent at the position both in free agency and in the draft. They’ll enter the draft with several top needs, so a receiver might not be their first pick, but one should be drafted in the first three rounds,
By adding talented pass catchers, Pittsburgh will also be giving Justin Fields a fair chance to prove that he can be a franchise quarterback. He has never been surrounded by great offensive talent in his career. If they want to accurately assess his future, Pittsburgh won’t be able to do so if Fields has a bottom-of-the-barrel group of skill players to work with.
Give Two Defensive Groups a Makeover
Following their disappointing defensive performance in 2024, the Steelers need to make major changes to two position groups this offseason. The first is cornerback. Arguably their biggest individual need, Pittsburgh has a very weak cornerback room. Joey Porter Jr. still shows signs of being an elite cover corner when he can avoid penalties. The Steelers don’t have a legit second cornerback, though. Donte Jackson started the year strong then completely unraveled. Cory Trice and Beanie Bishop can be back as depth pieces, but Pittsburgh is in major need of a second starter at outside cornerback, and a new starter in the slot, too.
Finally, the Steelers have moves to make along the defensive line. Cameron Heyward was the best interior defensive lineman in the league this year, but he is almost 36 years old. He won’t be around too much longer and Pittsburgh needs to build a contingency plan. Keeanu Benton had an awesome sophomore season, but he is the only Steelers defensive lineman who is both talented and young. Larry Ogunjobi was underwhelming this year and is a strong candidate to be cut. Winning teams build through the trenches, and if Pittsburgh wants to build a contender, they need to get younger and better along the defensive front.
Main Photo: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
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