The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the short list of NFL teams known for their defense. That reputation and quality defensive play have helped the Steelers record 18 consecutive winning seasons under head coach Mike Tomlin. The Steelers do things differently.
Of the 32 teams in the NFL, 19 have a quarterback earning the highest average salary on the team. Almost every team gives that money to an offensive player. But not the Steelers.
Not only do the Steelers pay a defensive player as their highest average earner, but their top are all defensive players. T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alex Highsmith, Cameron Heyward, Patrick Queen, and Preston Smith earn the most per year. The highest-paid offensive player for the Steelers is recently extended tight end Pat Freiermuth.
The only other team that is even similar to the Steelers in this regard is the Las Vegas Raiders, whose top two highest-salary players are defensive players Christian Wilkins and Maxx Crosby.
That unmatched attention to the defensive side may let the Steelers win games they aren't favored to win. But considering the Steelers haven't invested much of their salary cap on the offensive side of the ball, their year-over-year offensive struggles may be easy to explain. Of the 12 teams currently locked into the playoffs, eight of them have their quarterback as the highest-paid player as the quarterback. The other three teams other than the Steelers pay a non-quarterback offensive player.
Maybe the Steelers' offensive struggles are that simple--not enough investment in the quarterback position. That lack of investment might be a simple reason for some recent poor play. The situation is a complex one to try and explain. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin might have the answer.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, to-be Hall-of-Fame defensive end and current CBS analyst J.J. Watt said he talked to Tomlin ahead of the Christmas Day game against the Chiefs. Watt asked Tomlin what type of head coach he would hire if Tomlin were to start an NFL program.
"It's one of the things that I asked Mike Tomlin in our production meeting before our Christmas game was if you were hiring a head coach in today's atmosphere, would you [take] offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, CEO type?" said Watt. "He was like, 'in today's world, has to be an offensive mind. Has to be a guy that's an offensive mind because the quarterback's the most [important].' So it was really, that was a really interesting take from a notoriously defensive guy."
Watt is right. Considering Tomlin is known for having control over the defensive side of the ball and has been a relatively very successful head coach for almost two decades, what does it say that he would hire an offensive mind if he were hiring a head coach? Would Tomlin not hire himself considering his defensive focus? Maybe Tomlin thinks the sum of his skills outweigh being an offensive mind even if focusing on the quarterback is the most important.
Many Steelers fans blame Tomlin for the Steelers' constant offensive struggles. But when the six highest-paid players are all on the defensive side of the ball, the Steelers have invested very little in a quarterback, and the quality of play from multiple quarterbacks since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement hasn't been great, how surprised can those fans be that the offense leaves much to be desired.
Based on Watt's recount of his conversation with Tomlin, it's possible that Tomlin agrees. If a head coach can invest in quarterback and get the most out of their relationship with a quarterback, running an NFL team might be much easier. Of course, the quality of the defense would likely decrease in that situation.
The Steelers are locked into their defensive ways for the foreseeable future. Of course, there's a constant conversation about who should start at quarterback and if the quarterback is even on the roster. Until the quarterback position is figured out the Steelers will have to continue winning the way they are built and the way their head coach thinks--the defense.
