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Well, the 2021-2022 season is officially over for the Pittsburgh Steelers and man, what an emotional rollercoaster this past season has been for not only the organization, but the fans involved as well. Offensively, this team was adapting to a new offensive scheme under first-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada throughout each week, and doing so with not only an aging 39 year old Ben Roethlisberger, but an offensive unit that had four rookies listed as starters throughout the span of the year (OT Dan Moore Jr., C Kendrick Green, RB Najee Harris and TE Pat Freiermuth). Although there were many highs throughout the season for this unit, they were never able to produce consistently week to week like the coaching staff would have liked and this team never got to be that balanced attack that head coach Mike Tomlin has been vocal about searching for.
In drafting the rookie running back Harris in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, I believe many around the league assumed this offense was going to resort back to the rough and tough kind of style the Steelers had been known for in the past. Putting the rushing game at the top of the priority list would in hopes then set up the success of the passing game. Although the rookie running back did rush for 1,200 total yards on the year in his rookie campaign and was arguably this team’s best offensive weapon in both the passing and rushing game all year, Harris’ game only found consistency towards the last few months of the season, at a time in which our offensive line was finally starting to look comfortable. A little too late to see the FULL potential of what this offense could have been.
What this team was missing was the downfield passing attack, attacking the deep half of the field in hopes of those big play opportunities and it wasn’t due to a lack of weapons. Whether or not the lack of a deep threat had to do with the lack of a consistent rushing attack or not remains to be said, but what I can say is that this offense failed to show the ability to create explosive plays downfield week after week. It felt as if first time offensive coordinator Canada was more singularly focused on getting the ball out of Roethlisberger’s hands as quickly as possible, rather than generating a big play deep down the field for bulk yardage. A philosophy that came back to bite this offense more times than not.
With Roethlisberger’s retirement pretty much definite, the Steelers organization will be going into unfamiliar territory heading into the new season. They will be in search of another quarterback, whether that be someone already involved in the organization or not, Steeler Nation is going to have to adapt to seeing someone other than #7 behind center for years to come. There have been many rumors as far as who the organization will pursue, or in what capacity their search will begin, but it can be safe to assume that this offense is going to look a lot different starting next season.
What will remain the same is the amount of young playmakers this team has, they just need to find a way to utilize them all to where their strengths are more prevalent. Diontae Johnson, who just recently this season went over 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career and third year starter Chase Claypool are both under contract, and obviously slotted to come back in the black and gold next season. Claypool is coming off of what would be considered a down year after a breakout rookie season in 2020 in which he scored 9 touchdowns and both he and Johnson have proven their ability to become a true number one receiver in this league. The Steelers have them both at their disposal for the foreseeable future playing next to each other.
It remains to be seen what exactly the 2022 Steelers offense is going to look like. It is safe to say that Roethlisberger’s final season was a disappointment offensively and with their lack of explosiveness this season, is it fair to say that the first year offensive coordinator Matt Canada could be as good as gone? Or will the Steelers be giving him another shot to showcase his scheme and what he can do with a different, more mobile quarterback? Regardless of what happens, brace yourself for some changes on the offensive side of the ball come this off-season. Whoever will find themselves under center is going to have a plethora of options as far as playmakers are concerned, and that aspect is remaining the same.
Do you think this offense has enough playmakers to still be competitive in 2022? Or will they need to add more pieces offensively this off-season? Comment below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
In drafting the rookie running back Harris in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, I believe many around the league assumed this offense was going to resort back to the rough and tough kind of style the Steelers had been known for in the past. Putting the rushing game at the top of the priority list would in hopes then set up the success of the passing game. Although the rookie running back did rush for 1,200 total yards on the year in his rookie campaign and was arguably this team’s best offensive weapon in both the passing and rushing game all year, Harris’ game only found consistency towards the last few months of the season, at a time in which our offensive line was finally starting to look comfortable. A little too late to see the FULL potential of what this offense could have been.
What this team was missing was the downfield passing attack, attacking the deep half of the field in hopes of those big play opportunities and it wasn’t due to a lack of weapons. Whether or not the lack of a deep threat had to do with the lack of a consistent rushing attack or not remains to be said, but what I can say is that this offense failed to show the ability to create explosive plays downfield week after week. It felt as if first time offensive coordinator Canada was more singularly focused on getting the ball out of Roethlisberger’s hands as quickly as possible, rather than generating a big play deep down the field for bulk yardage. A philosophy that came back to bite this offense more times than not.
With Roethlisberger’s retirement pretty much definite, the Steelers organization will be going into unfamiliar territory heading into the new season. They will be in search of another quarterback, whether that be someone already involved in the organization or not, Steeler Nation is going to have to adapt to seeing someone other than #7 behind center for years to come. There have been many rumors as far as who the organization will pursue, or in what capacity their search will begin, but it can be safe to assume that this offense is going to look a lot different starting next season.
What will remain the same is the amount of young playmakers this team has, they just need to find a way to utilize them all to where their strengths are more prevalent. Diontae Johnson, who just recently this season went over 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career and third year starter Chase Claypool are both under contract, and obviously slotted to come back in the black and gold next season. Claypool is coming off of what would be considered a down year after a breakout rookie season in 2020 in which he scored 9 touchdowns and both he and Johnson have proven their ability to become a true number one receiver in this league. The Steelers have them both at their disposal for the foreseeable future playing next to each other.
It remains to be seen what exactly the 2022 Steelers offense is going to look like. It is safe to say that Roethlisberger’s final season was a disappointment offensively and with their lack of explosiveness this season, is it fair to say that the first year offensive coordinator Matt Canada could be as good as gone? Or will the Steelers be giving him another shot to showcase his scheme and what he can do with a different, more mobile quarterback? Regardless of what happens, brace yourself for some changes on the offensive side of the ball come this off-season. Whoever will find themselves under center is going to have a plethora of options as far as playmakers are concerned, and that aspect is remaining the same.
Do you think this offense has enough playmakers to still be competitive in 2022? Or will they need to add more pieces offensively this off-season? Comment below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
