The Pittsburgh Steelers made the playoffs with three quarterbacks who combined for just 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2023. Then this offseason, they upgraded several positions via free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft.
With that in mind, here are three important decisions the Steelers must make before the start of the regular season.
Who will be the starting quarterback?
Pittsburgh continues to stand by the idea that Russell Wilson has the “pole position” to be its starting quarterback Week 1, but the 35-year-old has either not practiced or been limited since suffering a calf injury before the start of training camp.
Meanwhile, fellow quarterback Justin Fields has taken full advantage of his reps with the first-team offense, opening what could be a quarterback battle that goes down to the wire.
Both players should be an upgrade from what the Steelers had in Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph a season ago, but they still have a lot to prove themselves.
The Denver Broncos are paying Wilson $37.79M to not play for them this year, while Fields has battled inconsistencies throughout the first three years of his NFL career.
Who will emerge as the No. 2 wide receiver?
Pittsburgh must determine who its No. 2 wide receiver will be opposite George Pickens after trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this offseason.
The early favorite seems to be veteran Van Jefferson, but if he doesn’t do enough over the next few weeks, the Steelers, who have already been subject to trade talks, may choose to look elsewhere.
Last week, general manager Omar Khan said “there’s nothing going on right now” in terms of trade talks. However, that could soon change after releasing wide receiver Marquez Callaway and losing rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson, who is week-to-week with an ankle injury.
Pittsburgh has said on multiple occasions that it is happy with the current state of its wide receiver room, but Khan has never showed his hand before, so why would this time be any different?
Are the rookie offensive linemen plug-and-play starters?
The Steelers finally put the finishing touches on their offensive line in the 2024 NFL Draft, selecting offensive tackle Troy Fautanu in the first round and center Zach Frazier in the second.
Both players have a chance to be Week 1 starters after the unit has underwhelmed the past few years, but they must first beat out offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. and center Nate Herbig, respectively.
That won’t be easy, either, as Pittsburgh has never rushed rookies into the starting lineup. In 2023, first-round pick Broderick Jones didn’t receive his first start until midseason.
Still, Fautanu and Frazier have a lot more experience than Jones did when he entered the league, and that has already been showing in training camp.
“It’s also a mature group. Those guys all have a lot of starts, and obviously stepping into the NFL and this environment, we’ll find out more in the preseason,” offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said. “…You can see them starting to calm down, and the aggressiveness.”
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
