The Pittsburgh Steelers are up against a lot heading into the 2022-2023 season. Following a rather underwhelming 2021-2022 season, the Steelers made some major offseason changes in the front office and on the roster. After losing veteran QB Ben Roethlisberger, it was inevitable that the Steelers were going to look different heading into the 2022 season. Pittsburgh signed QB Mitchell Trubisky to a two-year deal worth $14 million. Pittsburgh also drafted QB Kenny Pickett (University of Pittsburgh) with their First Round Pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Making it official ✍️ pic.twitter.com/zkuFvinZRD
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) June 23, 2022
Rookie QB Kenny Pickett
Steelers QB Mitchell Trubisky
Pickett just signed his rookie deal which is worth $14 million over four years. The starting job will be up for grabs between Trubisky and Pickett. Trubisky will have the slight edge over Pickett because of his experience and ability to win in the NFL. Trubisky has a record of 34-23 as a starter and has shown bright spots in his brief time as a starting QB for the Chicago Bears. In his final season with Pitt, Pickett threw for over 4300 yards. He also had 42 touchdowns and just 7 INT while leading Pitt to an ACC Conference Championship. Pickett is listed at (+500) to win NFL Rookie of the Year which makes him the odds-on favorite. Trubisky is listed as (+1400) to be NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Other Pittsburgh Draft Picks
So, besides the obvious QB changes that are going to take place, what else has changed in the burgh? Pittsburgh acquired six other NFL Draft picks which included…
- 52nd overall (2nd round): George Pickens, WR, Georgia
- 84th overall (3rd round): DeMarvin Leal, DL, Texas A&M
- 138th overall (4th round): Calvin Austin III, WR Memphis
- 208th overall (6th round): Connor Heyward, FB/TE, Michigan State
- 225th overall (7th round): Mark Robinson, LB, Ole Miss
- 241st overall (7th round): Chris Oladokun, QB, North Dakota State
Of these 6 draft picks, Georgia WR George Pickens has the most hype surrounding him. Pickens has length and can take the top off of a defense. His 4.47 time is plenty fast enough to be a deep threat in the NFL.
Pittsburgh also made numerous free agent signings throughout the off season. Those included…
- QB Mitchell Trubisky
- OL Mason Cole
- OL James Daniels
- CB Levi Wallace
- LB Myles Jack
- SPE Gunner Olszewski
- LB Genard Avery
- Miles Boykin
LB Myles Jack signed a two year deal, worth $16 million with the Steelers. With that type of pay, one can assume that he will be on the field a lot for this Steelers defense. In Jack’s six seasons with the Jaguars, he totaled 513 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 3 INT.
Steelers LB Myles Jack
As stated above, the Steelers not only made roster moves, but also made changes to the coaching staff and front office. Omar Khan will succeed the role of Kevin Colbert as the new General Manager for the Steelers. Pittsburgh also hired Brian Flores to be a defensive assistant. Flores was fired by the Miami Dolphins following his 3 seasons as Head Coach. Steelers HC Mike Tomlin believes that Flores will fit in well with the Steelers defensive unit as Flores is a defensive-minded coach.
Steelers Defensive Assistant Brian Flores
With all of these changes being made, what can we really expect of Pittsburgh in the 2022 season? The Steelers currently have the worst odds (+850) to win the AFC North…
Team | Odds |
Cincinnati Bengals | +200 |
Baltimore Ravens | +200 |
Cleveland Browns | +200 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | +850 |
In addition, Pittsburgh’s win total is set at an over/under total of 7.5. It is clear that much of the public feels as if the Steelers will struggle mightily this season. Some reasons for optimism are definitely there though. Ben Roethlisberger’s lack of mobility killed Pittsburgh at times last year. Either Pickett or Trubisky will have much more ability to move around and get outside of the pocket when needed…something Big Ben couldn’t do at all last year. Another reason for optimism is Pittsburgh’s talented defense. Pittsburgh’s defense has led the NFL in sacks in each of the past 5 seasons. In addition to the dynamic pass rush, if the Steelers can pass defend this season, look for the defense’s numbers to improve drastically.
On the other side of the ball it is going to be more of a mystery. We are still unsure as to who will be the starting QB. This could even change during the course of season if things start going south for either Pickett or Trubisky. Overall, it will be important for Pittsburgh to feed the ball to RB Najee Harris. Harris needs to be a work horse if the Steelers are going to have success in the 2022 season. Call me crazy, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Steelers competing in an already tough AFC North.