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Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season is over, the off-season speculation has started. Much of the questions are obviously about who will take over for 18-year franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. This is no doubt important, but regardless of who is under center for the team next season, they won’t get very far if the team does not continue to build up the run game.
Pittsburgh improved from dead last in the league in rushing yards per game, to 30th. This isn’t great or what the team or fans wanted, but is a step, albeit a small one in the right direction. The team did have its first 1,000-yard rusher since 2017 in first round rookie draft pick, Najee Harris. Harris stormed on the scene and had the best rookie campaign for a Steeler running back in team history with 1,200 yards rushing, good for fourth best in the league. He added seven rushing touchdowns as well.
Harris was definitely a bright spot and his talents were on full display. However, most are amazed at this stat line not because he’s a rookie, it’s because of the offensive line he did it behind. Pittsburgh’s offensive line was average at best most of the time. There was a lot of new faces, including two rookie starters in center Kendrick Green and tackle Dan Moore Jr. Guard Trai Turner was brought in to be a stop gap for David DeCastro, who was released due to lingering injuries that were hurting his play ability as well as availability. The only returning linemen were guard Kevin Dotson, who was lost for the year after a Week 10 tie with the Detroit Lions, and tackle Chukwuma Okorafor. Both were first year starters last season. It’s safe to say it was a bit of a patchwork job. Regardless, they worked as well as they could.
After starting 1-3, the line started to show some signs of life throughout the year, but could never consistently get it going. The injuries and inexperience mounted and shown through more than the occasional bright spots. Thus why the team finished 30th in rushing, despite Harris’s success.
So now that there’s questions looming at quarterback, the focus should also be on this offensive front unit. The team has some cap space to play with for what feels like the first time in my lifetime, and the 20th pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. That leaves them with opportunity to build up this offensive line in both the draft and free agency. Intriguing free agent prospects include: Brandon Scherff, Terron Armstead, Cam Robinson, Ryan Jensen, Duane Brown, and Nate Solder. There are more than these listed, but if the Steelers were to sign one or more of these players, it would provide an immediate upgrade for the front. The draft also has some intriguing offensive line prospects, with center Tyler Linderbaum being one of the most desired targets around the middle of the first round. Either way the team has options.
The team should also consider its options as far as who’s behind Harris. Benny Snell and Kalen Ballage were the same as the offensive line, largely inconsistent, and more negative plays than positive. This can be attributed to their lack of appearance on the field however, as Harris handled a whopping 84% of snaps for the offense this year. To sustain his success, the team is going to have to decide who is RB2 behind Harris, whether it’s Snell, Ballage, or someone not on the roster currently. He needs a spell, and a productive one at that.
A successful run game is a quarterback’s best friend. Especially one getting to learn a new offense, or being thrown into the fire for the first time as a day 1 starter, which is essentially whoever starts for the team in September will fall under one of the two categories presumably. Allowing them to ease in and beefing up the run game so the pressure is off of them will be essential to the team and quarterback’s success. For example, in both of Roethlisberger’s first two years, the team ranked 2nd and 5th in rushing yards in the whole NFL, and never outside the top 10 in his first four. As amazing as he was, the cushion of the run game took pressure off him and allowed the game to open up dramatically, leading to his early success. If the team can get back to being a dominant rushing attack, this offense will be much easier to operate, and will open up dramatically. History speaks for itself.
The team spoke to this sentiment of getting back to an imposing rushing attack after the 2020 season. Harris was the first step in that last off-season. Now they will look to continue building on that going into the 2022 season, as they should in light of Roethlisberger’s retirement and the current makeup of this team. There’s a lot of talent here, both offensively and defensively, and if built right, they may be able to find themselves back in the playoffs next year.
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Pittsburgh improved from dead last in the league in rushing yards per game, to 30th. This isn’t great or what the team or fans wanted, but is a step, albeit a small one in the right direction. The team did have its first 1,000-yard rusher since 2017 in first round rookie draft pick, Najee Harris. Harris stormed on the scene and had the best rookie campaign for a Steeler running back in team history with 1,200 yards rushing, good for fourth best in the league. He added seven rushing touchdowns as well.
Harris was definitely a bright spot and his talents were on full display. However, most are amazed at this stat line not because he’s a rookie, it’s because of the offensive line he did it behind. Pittsburgh’s offensive line was average at best most of the time. There was a lot of new faces, including two rookie starters in center Kendrick Green and tackle Dan Moore Jr. Guard Trai Turner was brought in to be a stop gap for David DeCastro, who was released due to lingering injuries that were hurting his play ability as well as availability. The only returning linemen were guard Kevin Dotson, who was lost for the year after a Week 10 tie with the Detroit Lions, and tackle Chukwuma Okorafor. Both were first year starters last season. It’s safe to say it was a bit of a patchwork job. Regardless, they worked as well as they could.
After starting 1-3, the line started to show some signs of life throughout the year, but could never consistently get it going. The injuries and inexperience mounted and shown through more than the occasional bright spots. Thus why the team finished 30th in rushing, despite Harris’s success.
So now that there’s questions looming at quarterback, the focus should also be on this offensive front unit. The team has some cap space to play with for what feels like the first time in my lifetime, and the 20th pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. That leaves them with opportunity to build up this offensive line in both the draft and free agency. Intriguing free agent prospects include: Brandon Scherff, Terron Armstead, Cam Robinson, Ryan Jensen, Duane Brown, and Nate Solder. There are more than these listed, but if the Steelers were to sign one or more of these players, it would provide an immediate upgrade for the front. The draft also has some intriguing offensive line prospects, with center Tyler Linderbaum being one of the most desired targets around the middle of the first round. Either way the team has options.
The team should also consider its options as far as who’s behind Harris. Benny Snell and Kalen Ballage were the same as the offensive line, largely inconsistent, and more negative plays than positive. This can be attributed to their lack of appearance on the field however, as Harris handled a whopping 84% of snaps for the offense this year. To sustain his success, the team is going to have to decide who is RB2 behind Harris, whether it’s Snell, Ballage, or someone not on the roster currently. He needs a spell, and a productive one at that.
A successful run game is a quarterback’s best friend. Especially one getting to learn a new offense, or being thrown into the fire for the first time as a day 1 starter, which is essentially whoever starts for the team in September will fall under one of the two categories presumably. Allowing them to ease in and beefing up the run game so the pressure is off of them will be essential to the team and quarterback’s success. For example, in both of Roethlisberger’s first two years, the team ranked 2nd and 5th in rushing yards in the whole NFL, and never outside the top 10 in his first four. As amazing as he was, the cushion of the run game took pressure off him and allowed the game to open up dramatically, leading to his early success. If the team can get back to being a dominant rushing attack, this offense will be much easier to operate, and will open up dramatically. History speaks for itself.
The team spoke to this sentiment of getting back to an imposing rushing attack after the 2020 season. Harris was the first step in that last off-season. Now they will look to continue building on that going into the 2022 season, as they should in light of Roethlisberger’s retirement and the current makeup of this team. There’s a lot of talent here, both offensively and defensively, and if built right, they may be able to find themselves back in the playoffs next year.
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
