At this point, the Pittsburgh Steelers season hinges on the play of an entirely new offensive line as much as it does on anything else. The skill position players are all in place so if the Steelers want an offense to complement their elite defense, it will be all about the offensive line.
ESPN decided to rain on everyone’s parade when they ranked all 32 projected offensive lines for the upcoming season based on projected pass blocking. They have Pittsburgh ranked 31st with only the New York Giants lower.
Here’s what they had to say about the Steelers:
31. Pittsburgh Steelers
Projected PBWR: 53%Projected offensive line: Chukwuma Okorafor (46th), Kevin Dotson (DNQ), Kendrick Green (rookie), Trai Turner (70th), Zach Banner (DNQ)
With four new starters and Okorafor projected to move to left tackle, it’s hard to imagine how this line is going to protect Ben Roethlisberger. Of the bottom five teams on this list, this is the only one without a first-rounder selected in either this year’s or last year’s draft.
Turner actually finished third in PBWR among guards in 2018, but he has put together two poor seasons since.
There’s no denying, this team isn’t going to be good until the offensive line is good. At this point, everyone has to just put their faith in the hands of head coach Mike Tomlin and new offensive line coach Adrian Klemm that they know things we don’t. Because if they are wrong about this group, the season is shot.
