Pittsburgh Steelers:
2019 record: 8-8
Key losses: IDL Javon Hargrave, OG Ramon Foster
Key additions: WR Chase Claypool, TE Eric Ebron, DL Chris Wormley, FB Derek Watt, OG Stefen Wisniewski
With few major offseason losses and some great pickups and draft picks, the Pittsburgh Steelers are trending up in the AFC North.
Returning is future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to an offense that was so bad many Steelers fans felt it was unwatchable in 2019. Roethlisberger is coming off an elbow injury on his throwing arm, however, so it’s unclear just how much he resembles his old self.
Luckily for him, he’ll have one of, if not the, best defenses in the league to make life easier. The Steelers defense held teams to an average of 18.9 PPG last season, which ranked sixth across the league. The unit hardly lost any pieces this offseason, either, making it a seasoned group of rockstars. The front-seven features a nasty pass-rushing trio of Cameron Heyward, Bud Dupree, and Defensive Player of the Year runner-up T.J. Watt. Devin Bush captains the middle of the field, meanwhile. The secondary is unbelievably loaded with Minkah Fitzpatrick highlighting a group that also features Joe Haden and Steven Nelson.
There are little-to-no questions surrounding the defense, so it’ll be up to the offense to keep pace. Health will be the biggest factor here, as the team not only missed “Big Ben” last year but also Pro Bowlers JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner. If all three of them are healthy, they join some other talented playmakers like Diontae Johnson and James Washington to give Pittsburgh a potent offense.
Without a shadow of a doubt, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the next best team in the AFC North behind only the Baltimore Ravens. This roster is top-notch, however, and will give Baltimore a run for its money. So long as the offense keeps up with perhaps the best defense in all of football, Pittsburgh looks like a 10+ win team in 2020.
Verdict: The offense must match the defense