Pittsburgh Steelers Positions of Need Going into the Offseason

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The Pittsburgh Steelers 2012 season is coming to a disappointing end, regardless of whether they beat the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 or not.

For all the talk about the defense getting old and needing to transition, the offense is what derailed the team's playoff chances.

Here are a few positions on the team that I feel the Steelers either need to upgrade or just shore up going into the 2013 season.

Wide Receiver

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Most Steelers fans believe that Mike Wallace has played his last game with the team, and honestly, I hope that isn’t true.

If it is true, that would leave the team with Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, a restricted free agent, and Jerricho Cotchery, who could be cut.

Having receivers like Brown, Sanders and Cotchery isn’t bad, however, the Steelers need more than three capable receivers on the roster.

Running Back

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It would take a lot for Rashard Mendenhall to be back with the Steelers next season which leaves the team with Jonathan Dwyer, Isaac Redman, both restricted free agents, Chris Rainey, and Baron Batch who has ended up on IR in his first two seasons.

I like a lot of what Dwyer did this season, and he has the inside track to start next year as the starting running back.

Either way, if the offensive line doesn’t improve, it won’t matter who the running back is because there weren’t many holes to run through in 2012.

Offensive Line

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Although the offensive line did not have a terrible season pass-blocking, they continuously were blown up in the run game.

Guys like Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro are sure to be starters next season, however, Max Starks, Ramon Foster and Doug Legursky are going to be free agents.

Also, Willie Colon, Mike Adams and Marcus Gilbert are coming off injury-riddled seasons, and we don’t know where everyone is going to be playing next year.

Inside Linebacker

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Lawrence Timmons is locked into one of the starting spots, and he had a really good season, but he is basically the only inside linebacker the Steelers have.

Larry Foote is an unrestricted free agent, Sean Spence is coming off major knee surgery, and Stevenson Sylvester hasn’t proven to be anything but a special teams player.

Even if Larry Foote is re-signed, the Steelers need to find a capable starter to pair with Timmons for the future.

Outside Linebacker

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Starters James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley have had a hard time staying on the field, and without them at full strength, the Steelers have had zero pass rush.

Jason Worilds actually really impressed me this season as a backup, however, he still hasn’t shown to be an explosive pass-rusher.

Chris Carter wasn’t exactly getting a lot of pressure either, and Adrian Robinson wasn’t given any kind of chance this season to show anything.

The Steelers have been suffering from the lack of pressure and turnovers created on defense, and they need to someone to step up in this area.

Safety

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It’s a crime that Ryan Clark was not selected to the Pro Bowl this season with everything he did without Troy Polamalu.

That being said, the safety position needs to be addressed this offseason with both Clark and Polamalu getting another year older.

Will Allen showed he wasn’t worthless this season and really had a great year in my opinion. However, there is a good chance he isn’t brought back.

Polamalu never seems to be healthy anymore, and it is time to bring in someone who can be groomed as a replacement.