The Pittsburgh Steelers look like a team ready for a bounceback after two disappointing seasons. But between now and the start of the regular season the coaches still have plenty of things to sort out if they want to return to the playoffs after a two-year absence. Here are the three big questions Pittsburgh must answer.
Is Big Ben Back, and if not, then what?
Despite a mid-season push, the Steelers season ended in Week Two when franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury. The defense made a valiant effort to keep the team in the season but in the end there was no quarterback on the roster who could approach the talent of Roethlisberger. All indications this offseason have been that Big Ben is back on the road to full health and even hopes to be better than before.
Roethlisberger led the NFL is passing yards in 2018 with 5,128 and despite being 38 years old is playing his best football. If Roethlisberger isn’t healthy or cannot get back to 100 percent it could mean a long season and a third straight absence from the playoffs. If Pittsburgh has to count on QB Mason Rudolph to lead the team for an extended period of time again, it is hard to see the Steelers keeping pace with teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.
Can the defense do it again?
Historically, the Steelers defense has been among the best in the NFL. But in recent seasons we’ve seen this unit take a back seat to a high-powered Pittsburgh offense. But in 2019, once the Steelers make the trade for S Minkah Fitzpatrick, everything changed. This group, led by LB T.J. Watt, DT Cam Heyward and Fitzpatrick came to play every week and kept this team in games they had no business of winning.
This season, with the standard set, expectations will be even higher. LB Bud Dupree is playing on the franchise tag and will be looking for another huge season to secure a massive payday in 2021. CBs Joe Haden and Steven Nelson formed one of the best tandems in the AFC last season but it is always about what you do next in the NFL. The player we are most looking forward to seeing make a big leap forward is LB Devin Bush. Bush led the Steelers in tackles in 2019 but after a big trade to go get him in the draft, Pittsburgh should expect more splash plays this season.
What will happen with the run game?
The Steelers run game was a nightmare in 2019. Injuries and inefficient play neutralized any semblance of balance the Steelers’ staff wanted to achieve on offense. Starting RB James Conner missed six games with injury but in 10 games could only muster 464 rushing yards. In his place, RB Benny Snell Jr. rushed for 426 yards and almost identical yards per carry. The forgotten man last season was RB Jaylen Samuels who dealt with an injury of his own but didn’t really figure into the game plan even when healthy.
This all sounds like running back would have been a significant draft priority for the Steelers. Instead, the Steelers spent a fourth-round pick on RB Anthony McFarland Jr. out of Maryland. McFarland is a thick, powerful running with deceptive speed but an ugly injury history. HC Mike Tomlin is notorious for focusing on a single back in the offense but with the variety of skills among the depth chart, this could be the season fans finally see a legitimate running back by committee approach.
