Predicting Steelers' Biggest Regrets from 2023 NFL Offseason
The Pittsburgh Steelers earned rave reviews for their offseason moves.
Pro Football Focus handed the Steelers an A+ for their free-agent signings and draft picks.
Mike Tomlin's team is much better on paper going into the second year of the Kenny Pickett era than it was in 2022.
There is no guarantee that every one of the offseason moves pan out the way the Steelers want them too.
After all, they did sign a 33-year-old cornerback who had an inflated statistical year by his standards and needed to make one or two more moves on the offensive line.
Any concerns will be washed away by a strong start, but if the Steelers stumble in September, some of the top offseason decisions could come into question.
Settling for Patrick Peterson
1 of 3
The Steelers got five years older at one starting cornerback spot by replacing Cameron Sutton with Patrick Peterson.
Peterson is coming off a 56-tackle, five-interception season with the Minnesota Vikings, but there is a risk that his performance drops off.
The 33-year-old produced more than three interceptions twice in a single season since his debut with the Arizona Cardinals in 2011.
He had 15 passes defended in 2022. He had 13 total passes defended in the previous two seasons.
The Steelers are using Peterson as a bridge to Joey Porter Jr. and whomever they can pick up next season, so if his performance does drop off, the franchise does not take a massive loss.
Pittsburgh could have gone after a younger cornerback to provide some leadership and experience opposite a rookie in Joey Porter Jr.
Porter should benefit from Peterson's presence, and if he absorbs all the information given to him, he can be a star in the secondary.
If Porter outperforms Peterson, an argument will be made that Peterson was an offseason bust and the team could have been better off signing a younger player to a multi-year deal instead of going back into free agency in 2024.
Not Enough Offensive Line Help
2 of 3
The Steelers addressed their offensive line needs with the first-round draft pick of Broderick Jones and the free-agent signing of Isaac Seumalo.
Pittsburgh needed to make those improvements after Kenny Pickett was sacked 27 times in 13 games.
The Steelers may not have done enough to eradicate the issues against the opponent's pass rush.
The right side and center will not change and it could take some time for the left side to gel.
Jones is in competition with Dan Moore Jr. for the left tackle spot and Seumalo is in the process of learning a new system.
Everything could go right for the Steelers on the interior, but there are enough questions there that may leave some people asking if the team did enough to improve that unit.
Not Rewarding Najee Harris with Long Term Deal
3 of 3
Najee Harris' name will soon come up in the discussion surrounding underpaid running backs.
The two-time 1,000-yard rusher is on his rookie contract for the next two seasons.
The Steelers did not touch a new contract for Harris in the offseason, and no one would blame them given the current state of running back contracts in the NFL.
However, if Harris runs for 1,000 yards again in 2023, his value will skyrocket and that could price the Steelers out of negotiations when the time comes to discuss an extension.
The Steelers are already planning for the future with Jaylen Warren backing up Harris, and they could be content with Warren, or another high draft pick, taking over as the full-time starter in 2025.
Pittsburgh would be playing a dangerous game if that happens because Harris has proven to be one of the most consistent running backs in the NFL.
It may be best for the Steelers to lock down Harris on a long-term deal because of his value to the offense, and the longer they wait, the more they will have to pay.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
