Overall Depth of the Team

I’m not much of a Tomlin fan, personally with the talent when he came in I think we should have had more than 1 title, however I give him major kudos last year and this year. What he has done and the decisions to date have been pretty good. His trade deadline moves seem to fit great with the needs so far and the overall depth and development of this team is outstanding. The team is playing complimentary football and in all three phases, we will see what the second half of the season looks like. The fact that two of our first three picks went down early in the season and barely played is even more of a testament to the depth of this team. The next man up standard has truly been seen at OLB, O-line and other positions. I want to see playoff wins but what he has done for the first half of the season has been exceptional.

 

yeah, Steelers quality of depth hasn't been this good since 2001-2011... the glory days, when Steelers were elite with Patriots and Colts.

Steelers had some down years from 2001-11, but overall... we were stacked, especially on D.

 

Recent gains in personnel quality may be more Khan than Tomlin, but we don`t know the details of the interaction between the two. However, I like the team spirit this year and I`ll give Tomlin credit there. There is a buzz around this team like we are on a mission. Not seeing games where we play lazy when we lose.

To me, this feels more like 2005 after we got going. Hope we have the horses and it turns out that way.

 

In 2005 at the halfway point I told my family this is our #5 team. And it happened. I have that vibe going on but I'm not sure Wilson can get it done. Their are older QB's that have won a SB. Idiot boy, Manning, Elway, Plunkett, etc. Then when my hope picks up I remember that damn KC QB

 

I think we have good depth, better than we have had in a long time. We can stand to upgrade some starters in particular

Ogunjobi - DT
Jackson - Perimeter CB
Jones - RT

Hopefully next year Jones will have matured into his position and we just move Fatanu to LT. We draft a big DT to replace Ogunjobi (the draft is deep with DT’s) and we draft another JPJ type to play man on the outside opposite JPJ. That leaves us suspect at the RB position but I think they will bring one of Najee/Warren back and we will draft a RB which good ones can be had in the third round.

 

Steelers will likely sign Warren and draft another RB. I can see Harris going to a RB-needy team like the Cowboys. Harris will get some great offers that he can't refuse. Steelers won't be able to match.

 

I would agree that our depth is really solid.

We definitely need to get younger on the DL. Idk if we draft someone to go in Benton's spot and move Benton to Larry O's or if we just want to go with a DT? Corner could be an option, but I wouldn't hate extending either Jackson or Sutton and work in Trice as we can. Bishop is developing in the slot and while I think adding a CB could be beneficial, we could also keep it similar and be in pretty good shape. RB makes a ton of sense and there will likely be plenty of options. Jeanty is likely a round 1 guy (as long as his 40 doesn't suck), but we can grab a Judkins or Gordon in the 2nd and feel pretty good about a room featuring the rookie/Warren/Patterson. We theoretically could extend Harris, but he has to prove that he's good for more than 2-3 good games a year. He's already put together a really good stretch prior to the bye, but if he is able to finish the year in a similar manner, maybe we think about a 3 year extension.

I still think we need to pay a WR2 though. If its Williams for a 2 year deal, or a trade for a bigger name on a smaller contract that we re-sign and move the money around on (Samuel or Metcalf come to mind) then I am fine with it. I think Higgins is a bit of a pipe dream (and I worry about his overall health and availability) but maybe an Amari Cooper is okay for a year or two before we make a run at an early WR again in the draft. As for LT, I know I get heat for it, but I think Dan Moore Jr. is going to be hyper affordable. I'd still want Fautanu/Jones (don't care which side either plays as long as they go there) starting and have Moore be the primary back up LT (with a shift of the LT if it is the RT that gets injured). I don't think Moore is going to get a starter's contract anywhere else and he might be most valuable here in Pittsburgh as an insurance policy for Jones not figuring it out.

 

We have the money if we want to... but if someone wants to pay Najee like a top 10 ball carrier, then we likely wont want to match.

 

Yeah, Warren the guy who almost cost the Steelers the Commanders game by fumbling at the goal line should be starting .

 

I agree with all your assessments except for us retaining Moore. He is having a solid season, he is relatively young with four years of experience and he has never been injured. He may not get top dollar but he will get starter money to go some where as a plug and play. LT’s are a premium. He will end up being a top 15 free agent next year as far as being sought after.

I would love bringing in Metcalf I just don’t know if it is practical with us also extending Pickens, Watt, Wilson or Fields and some if the depth pieces. We not have enough to afford Metcalf.

 

It depends on how we structure it and how much we pay Pickens/Watt/Wilson. A multi year extension likely reduces Watt's current cap hit for 2025, and even a large contract for Pickens (at 30 mil a year) and Wilson (at a similar number) only adds about another 40ish million in cap for 2025. We cut Preston Smith after the season for 0 dead cap, dump Holcomb for 6 million in savings, and then we figure out where we can restructure in order to free up even more money. I honestly think that we can, and should, gear up for a short run while Russ is still playing good ball. Khan is good with the cap, and if we hit on any of our picks... then we should be in great shape. Just my opinion.

 

Rodney was a good player, and he's pretty spot on with Harris. It's why Najee runs so hot and cold. His complete lack of burst means that he will need holes blocked for him to get a head of steam. If he's at top speed, he is very difficult to bring down... but if you disrupt him, and make him use his poor vision or the cuts where he wastes a lot of motion (and loses a lot of speed) then he is pretty easy to stop. When its blocked for him, he can look like the guy he looked like during the 3 weeks prior to the bye. If it isn't, he looks like he did in Washington...

Harris should start solely based on the fact that he's been the healthiest guy all year. Warren has been nicked up and doesn't have the rhythm that Harris has. Plus Harris had a really good 3 game stretch. And while Warren ran much better than Harris did last week, it isn't nearly enough to overtake him as the lead back. This team is better when they are splitting touches 50/50 anyways.

 

Nah, this team is much better when the touches are 70/30 Harris-Warren. Against the Commanders on the goal line Warren fumbles, that crap doesn't happen with Harris .

 

When Warren is kicking ass we are like put him in all the time but it's the right move by Tomlin and company how they use are dual threat. Frigging love a fired up Warren but am constantly aware of the fumble factor. On that fumble I was hoping for the fake to him and an easy pass for TD. Skins were sure he was getting ball.

 

Yeah, but Warren was getting the rock because he was doing something with it. Harris doesn't fumble at the goal line, not simply because he is more sure-handed (he is), but because we would've punted it it 3 first downs ago that drive.... Harris had 53 yards on 21 carries (2.5 YPC) in Washington. Warren was playing better, and they were feeding him the rock because of it.

It's not truly 50/50... but the offense is way better when there is a different answer to Najee available. Especially since Najee is best in the 4th quarter, rested, and the lead in hand... We've scored 20 points or more only 12 times the last year and a half, and Warren has 10+ touches in 9 of those games. A healthy Warren brings everything to the table that Najee doesn't have. Exceptional burst, quality vision, and a threat in space. Najee brings durability, ball security, and his large frame. They play off each other well.

Again, Najee just runs SO hot and cold. In his dynamic 3 game stretch he carried it 54 times for 322 yards (5.96 YPC) and 2 TD. The other 6 games he's carried it 103 times for 323 yards (3.14 YPC) and 1 TD. This has been a recurring thing in his career too, where 2021 he showed promise (I was a big proponent of his then, thinking he had the ability to be a top 10 back), 2022 was essentially an entire season dud for the most part, 2023 was a 3 game stretch to end the year that brought him back into relevance, and now this year where he's been exceptional in 3 games and pretty much a liability otherwise. The offense can have long stretches of being sluggish because of this. Sometimes you need to throw Warren in for momentum. He can burst through a hole that isn't there for long and get to the second level, he can take a ball in space and be up field and at the first down markers before the defense can even react, and he can be a threat to score outside the red zone.

If we run it 30 times in a game, Warren needs to be 12-13 of them. If Najee is playing like he did for his 3 game stretch, then great, let him take 20-22 carries. But Naj looks bad a lot more often than he looks good, and if he is floundering, we need to mix in Warren to kick start the offense. I get some heat on here because I don't think Najee is nearly as good as others think he is, but I truly do want him to succeed. I want him to be the best version of himself every week to help the Steelers win. But his flaws are obvious, and I won't just overlook them because he wears a Steelers jersey.

 

That's the one thing Najee has on Warren, he never fumbles. Well actually two things, Najee never get's hurt either.

 

I don't care about what happened in just the Washington game, I'm giving the ball to the guy that is durable and doesn't fumble.

 

Well, we will be finding someone else to give the ball to in 2025. Get a good look at Najee the rest of the way, as there's a good shot he is wearing a different jersey next season. Najee might hold onto the ball well, but if he did more with it when its in his hands he'd be playing the first year of his contract extension right now.

 

He has done enough to get a contract extension, the only Steelers RB to ever go over 1,000 rushing in each of his first three years. If Muth is worth 12 million a year, then Najee is worthy of having his 5th year option picked. Who does more for the offense ?

 

The FO didn't think so obviously... He's gotten numbers, but its not as impressive when you realize that there isn't another back in the league that has touched the ball more than Najee has since he's been in the league. There's too many good RB's in the league to pay someone who isn't a top 10 back. RB is just a weird position like that. You pay superstars and let everyone else fall to the wayside. The RB production is just too easy to replace.

The most important players on the offense are Wilson and Pickens. Both players have done more for the offense IMO.... Both are also looking at extensions in the offseason. Can't pay everyone and I'd rather have Wilson and Pickens signed to an extension instead of Najee. There aren't many good TE's so if you have one, sign him. There aren't many QB's that can win you games in the playoffs, if you have one, sign him. There aren't many #1 WR's in the league, if you have one, sign him. You sign a CMC, Saquon, or Henry at RB... There just isn't much of a drop off from the 15th best back to the 35th best back like there is for other positions, and its the only position in the NFL that I think there are more starting caliber players at than there are starting roles. That is just my opinion on it.

 

Don't be surprised to see the Steelers Slap the franchise tag on Najee.

With King Henry and Saquon Barkley having massive years with their new teams, it is going to be the year of the running back in the 2025 offseason.

 

Do you really think the Giants and the Titans are glad they didn't pay King Henry and Saquon Barkley, and the Ravens and the Eagles are unhappy that they signed the #1 and #2 RB in the NFL this offseason?

Right now both James and Barkely have a shot at the 2,000 rushing barrier with their new teams.

 

Much more (Quality) depth than in recent years. Why I thought 11 wins was doable.