The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to go 10-7 and make the playoffs last season, and on paper, their roster got better with the addition of Russell Wilson at quarterback and Patrick Queen at linebacker, as well as improvements along the offensive line through the draft. But getting back to ten wins isn’t a guarantee given Pittsburgh’s schedule, and former Steelers safety and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark doesn’t think it’ll happen. Answering a question from Dan Graziano on NFL Live about over or under 10 wins for the Steelers, Clark took the under. He said that the Steelers will try to figure out who they are as a team early in the season before transitioning to backup QB Justin Fields before their brutal end-of-season stretch.
“This is difficult because I believe the team is better. One, you get better when you hire Arthur Smith as the offensive coordinator. Some of the things that Omar Khan did during the offseason gives me optimism. But I’m saying less because of how daunting this schedule is toward the end of the season. That’s normally when we’ve seen the Pittsburgh Steelers, who find a way to playoff contention every year, get wins and find themselves in the playoffs as a wild card. But this year, I believe they’ll be figuring out who they are early with Russell Wilson, then transitioning to Justin Fields around the bye week and trying to face those six division opponents along with the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs to finish, which will be difficult for any football team.”
The schedule from Weeks 11-18 is an absolute gauntlet, and Pittsburgh will have to get off to a good start early in the season to win more than 10 games. But clearly, Clark doesn’t think the team can get it done with Wilson under center, and if the Steelers are at the point where they’re looking to transition to Fields midseason, it’s probably a sign that things aren’t going as planned.
Arthur Smith’s offense will be interesting to watch this season, and it’s hard to think that the Steelers offense could get any worse than it was under Matt Canada. The pieces are in place for the Steelers to have success on the ground this season with their revamped offensive line, which includes rookies Zach Frazier and Troy Fautanu. Both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are slated to have big seasons for the Steelers.
Even if Wilson isn’t the player he was when he was with the Seattle Seahawks, it’s hard to believe he won’t be an upgrade over Kenny Pickett, and I just have a hard time seeing the Steelers benching him midseason unless things really go south. Of course, it’s not as if the team has much of a commitment to Wilson, as he’s making just $1.2 million on a one-year contract, so it’s conceivable that he could be benched. I just think it’s pretty unlikely.
But the Steelers are planning on giving Fields a lot of reps in OTAs and presumably minicamp and training camp, and if they see something they like and they aren’t getting the desired results out of Wilson, Clark’s prediction could come true.
It’s going to be a grind to win 10 games, but the Steelers always seem to find a way. But the second-half schedule does them no favors, and it might come down to Week 18 for Pittsburgh to hit that number and possibly find their way into the playoffs.
