Analyzing the Pittsburgh Steelers' 5 Most Improved Positional Units

The Pittsburgh Steelers spent their offseason much as they do every year: Trying to make improvements to the roster, particularly in areas that were weak the year previous or those that saw significant losses during free agency.

Though the Steelers didn't have many positions that needed major attention this year, there are five that have only gotten stronger via the team's veteran additions and draft selections. 

Running Back

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Last year, the Steelers rushed for a combined 1,760 yards and 13 scores, most of that—1,268 yards and seven touchdowns—belonging to running back Le'Veon Bell. Bell remains on the roster, currently on a one-year franchise tag in lieu of he and the Steelers coming to an eventual long-term agreement.

But his fellow back from a year ago, DeAngelo Williams, did not get a new contract in the regular season, and the only other candidate on the roster to serve as Bell's No. 2 was Fitzgerald Toussaint, who had just 14 carries for 58 yards one season ago.

But the Steelers bolstered their depth via both free agency and the draft. First, they signed Knile Davis; while Davis, should he stick on the roster, won't likely see more touches than Toussaint did a year ago, he is more experienced than Toussaint and has a higher career yards-per-carry average.

The most notable improvement the Steelers made to the running back position came via the draft. The team selected Pitt's James Conner in the third round, effectively making him the team's No. 2 back for the 2017 season and beyond. Conner has the downhill power of Williams but is much younger and thus has much fresher legs. He is also useful in the passing game; though perhaps not the 800-yard receiver that Bell has proved capable of being, Conner is the ideal backup to such a player.

Now the Steelers have a clear-cut starter in Bell, a capable backup in Conner and a battle playing out this summer for the No. 3 spot between Davis and Toussaint. That's a much better situation than the one they were in in early March.

Cornerback

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The Steelers have spent a significant amount of their draft resources fortifying their secondary over the last three drafts, with seven cornerbacks or safeties taken since 2015. But that bolstering of the position has not always worked out in their favor. That trend could change in 2017, though, with the Steelers now as deep as ever in the secondary, particularly at cornerback.

In addition to drafting Tennessee's Cameron Sutton in Round 3, the Steelers also used a fifth-round draft pick on Utah's Brian Allen. The team also signed veteran free agent Coty Sensabaugh, and second-round 2015 draft pick, Senquez Golson, is finally healthy and may be ready to play in his first pre- or regular-season game this year after missing the last two with various injuries.

With Ross Cockrell and 2016 Round 1 draft pick Artie Burns serving as the starting corners on the outside, the summer will be spent figuring out where the rest of the cornerbacks will land. Golson, William Gay and perhaps Sensabaugh will be vying for slot corner duties. Sutton and Allen will be trying to serve as backups to Cockrell and Burns on the 53-man roster.

But no matter where these corners end up playing in the secondary this year, it appears that the Steelers have just about solved their problems at the position, at least when it comes to having enough depth.

Wide Receiver

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Last year, the Steelers' receiving corps was a mostly anonymous affair behind multi-year Pro Bowler Antonio Brown. Running back Le'Veon Bell was No. 2 on the team in receiving yards. Slot receiver Eli Rogers came after Bell. Sammie Coates had only 435 yards while battling finger and groin injuries, and players like Cobi Hamilton and Demarcus Ayers were forced to step up while Markus Wheaton spent most of the year sidelined and Martavis Bryant was out with a season-long suspension.

Though Wheaton departed in free agency, the Steelers did a good job during the offseason making additions to their receiving corps. Pittsburgh added Justin Hunter via free agency and drafted JuJu Smith-Schuster in Round 2. Bryant has also since been reinstated by the league, leaving the Steelers with one of their strongest groups of receivers in recent years.

This will mean a long summer of positional battles, as the Steelers aren't likely to keep more than six receivers on the 53-man roster. But this is a good problem to have, especially for a roster that relies so heavily on the passing game to gain its yards.

Kick and Punt Returner

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A season ago, six players handled kick and punt returns for the Steelers, including top receiver Antonio Brown, who returned 15 punts for 140 yards. That may not be the case in 2017, given that Brown has since been given a four-year, $68 million deal that makes him the second-highest-paid player on the roster and now even more valuable.

But keeping Brown relatively out of harm's way by taking him off of return duties shouldn't hurt the Steelers this year; the team is in good shape when it comes to other players on the roster who can handle the return jobs.

Of the other five players who returned either kicks or punts, four—Fitzgerald Toussaint, Sammie Coates, Cobi Hamilton and Eli Rogers—are still on the roster and could handle return duties again this year should they be on the final roster. But Pittsburgh also added Knile Davis in free agency.

Though Davis will be pushing Toussaint for the No. 3 running back spot, he will also be vying for return work as well. And Davis is well-experienced in this area; he has returned 73 kickoffs so far during his career, for a total of 1,960 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie Cameron Sutton, meanwhile, could serve as Pittsburgh's punt returner, as he returned 46 punts for 657 yards and three scores while in college.

The Steelers now have a large array of players who can return kickoffs and punts while at the same time allowing Brown to spend 100 percent of his on-field time as a receiver. The return game can be an area of strength; at the same time, the Steelers no longer have to worry that the next time Brown runs back a punt could be his final play of the season.

Quarterback

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Nothing has changed atop the Steelers' quarterback depth chart that would indicate any drastic improvement at the position this offseason. Ben Roethlisberger remains the starter, and his longtime backup, Landry Jones, was re-signed to a two-year deal in March.

But the selection of Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs in the fourth round of the 2017 draft does highlight a major improvement at the position. Dobbs takes the place of former third-stringer Zach Mettenberger, who didn't play a snap for the Steelers in 2016. And he also will push Jones for the No. 2 job this summer.

With Dobbs added into the fold, the Steelers now have a trio of quarterbacks on the roster they can feel more confident in should Roethlisberger miss any time in the upcoming season.

Granted, Dobbs is a rookie, but he's a fast-learner—he's surprised even himself at how relatively well he understands the pro-style concepts of the Steelers' passing game despite his spread-offense roots—and he has the skill set to compete with Jones. That's something that could not be said about the likes of Mettenberger a year ago nor for anyone else (perhaps save Michael Vick) who the Steelers have brought on to round out the quarterback room since Jones' drafting in 2013.

It will take until preseason games are underway to see how quickly Dobbs' development has gone and how long it will take until he seems ready to leapfrog Jones on the depth chart. But Pittsburgh's quarterbacks room looks much improved—on paper—simply by his addition.