The Steelers offensive line should be better. They added guard James Daniels and center Mason Cole as free agents this off-season and each should start. The line can’t possibly be worse than it was last season.
The Steelers wide receivers should be better. George Pickens, picked in the second round Friday night out of Georgia, steps in for JuJu Smith-Schuster, who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury. Pickens should fit in nicely with Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool.
The Steelers running game should be better. See thoughts on offensive line above. It’s nice to think Najee Harris finally will have a little running room. Beyond that, the run game also can’t possibly be worse.
The Steelers quarterbacks should be …
I’m not quite willing to go there, but I’ll say this: The quarterbacks room is going to be much different with Mitch Trubisky or Kenny Pickett trying to replace Hall of Fame-bound Ben Roethlisberger. The position has a chance to be better if only because Trubisky and Pickett are so much more mobile than Roethlisberger was at the end of his career.
So why do I still have major concerns about the Steelers offense?
Two words:
Matt Canada.
Are you sold on him as an offensive coordinator?
I keep hearing Roethlisberger sabotaged Canada’s offense last season, that Roethlisberger’s lack of mobility kept Canada from running the offense he likes. I’m not sure I’m totally buying it. What I saw last season was the offense being at its best in the second halves of games when Roethlisberger basically took over the play-calling.
Canada lost me in the game against Cincinnati in September. On fourth-and-10 from the Bengals’ 11 with the Steelers down two touchdowns late, the play was a dump pass to Najee Harris that lost 1 yard. It might have been the worst play of the season.
Mike Tomlin’s explanation was as memorable as it was pathetic:
“We had fired all of our bullets at that juncture in terms of some of our play selection. It just wasn’t a good enough play to get in there.”
I don’t know about you, but that’s the first time I’ve heard of a team running out of plays.
Doesn’t say much about the coordinator, right?
The offense never really improved after that fiasco against Cincinnati. It was so bad so often that I thought Tomlin might move on from Canada after just one season. There was plenty of turnover on the offensive staff. Line coach Adrian Klemm left late in the season for Oregon and his replacement, Chris Morgan, took a job with the Chicago Bears. Wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard resigned. That Tomlin kept Canada is one of the bigger gambles of his career.
Certainly, Canada will have no excuses next season. Just about every significant move the Steelers made this off-season was for the offense. That includes drafting Pickett with their first-round pick Thursday night. I would have preferred the team show a little more faith in Trubisky and use that pick to strengthen its defense. Highly regarded cornerback Trent McDuffie from Washington still was on the board. So were defensive ends Jermaine Johnson II from Florida State and George Karlaftis from Purdue, defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt from Georgia, linebacker Devin Lloyd from Utah and safety Daxton Hill from Michigan.
It’s no wonder Canada was so happy after the Steelers used their first two picks on offensive players.
“It’s a great draft,” he said after the Pickens selection. “I think we’ve got a real talented group. We’re going to have a lot of fun getting them ready to go.”
I don’t want to be greedy.
I won’t ask for much improvement.
I’ll be happy if the offense doesn’t run out of plays again.
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com and Twitter@RonCookPG. Ron Cook can be heard on the “Cook and Joe” show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
First Published: April 30, 2022, 3:37 a.m.
