For the Pittsburgh Steelers, this offseason has been a series of additions and subtractions. The team has been busy in both directions with wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell out, but a significant number of guys added to the roster in an attempt to get this team back to the playoffs.
But according to NBC Sports’ Peter King, the subtractions still far outweigh the additions in his latest offseason power rankings. King has the Steelers checking in at a very mediocre 18th, which puts them behind every team in the AFC North except the lowly Cincinnati Bengals.
It’s going to be peaceful in Pittsburgh without the weekly (daily?) questions about Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. But with all the distractions and discord last year, the Steelers still averaged 26.8 points per game, and I’ll be surprised if they reach those heights this year. Steelers players might find it more placid coming to work and games this year with Antonio Brown 2,300 miles away, but how are they replacing Brown’s 115 catches a year over the last five seasons? With James Washington? Donte Moncrief? Doubt it. More likely, Pittsburgh turns to the man who cost them first, second and third-round picks on draft day, linebacker Devin Bush, and hopes he can be the sideline-to-sideline presence Ryan Shazier was until that fateful night in Cincinnati late in the 2017 season.
Let’s be honest, Ben Roethlisberger has won a Super Bowl with worse wide receivers. Replacing the production of Brown isn’t going to be necessary because the run game will bring more balance. No one really expects Roethlisberger to top 5,000 yards passing again this season, do they?
Does this ranking feel low? Absolutely. This team is better now than the group that took the field in the final week of the regular season. This is especially true on defense. But as they say, it isn’t where you start but where you finish.
