The Pittsburgh Steelers offense is near the bottom in recent rankings

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers had one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season. They ranked bottom ten in total offense and touchdowns in 2023.

Internally, we believe that 2024 will be different. The team has a new offensive coordinator and a new quarterback who are raising hopes that they can become a formidable offense again.

Nationally, this belief is not shared. One example is the polarizing media outlet Pro Football Focus. In their annual position group rankings, they were very dismissive of the Steelers.

To their credit, the wide receiver rankings were spot on. They ranked the Steelers 26th and writer Trevor Sikkema had an indifferent view of the group.

“George Pickens came in at No. 30 on PFF's preseason wide receiver list and is leading the pack in Pittsburgh with Diontae Johnson no longer there,” he wrote. “Rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson should also get some good playing time this year… This is a decent group with a lower ceiling after Johnson leaves.”

The shared consensus on the Steelers receiving group is that they are disappointing at best. If they add a legitimate number two receiver, it will take this group to the next level.

Where it went off the rails was the running backs. PFF ranked the Steelers backfield 17th in the league. Sikkema was a little more complimentary of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.

“Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren were both top-25 running backs with above-average PFF wins in 2023,” he wrote. “Warren and Harris each averaged over 4.0 yards per carry as well, and the two remain a very solid duo for 2024.”

The problem isn't that the Steelers were ranked in the middle, but rather some picks above and below them.

Two spots above them are the Tennessee Titans. The TItans lost their number one option and workhorse, Derrick Henry, and replaced him with Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears. Spears shows promise, but Pollard hasn't been the same since a leg injury a few seasons ago. It's hard to imagine them having more success than the Steelers.

Likewise, Sikkema ranked the Jacksonville Jaguars as the 12th best running back group. The problem is that this indicates the Jaguars have more than one capable running back. This is not the case. The Jaguars' rushing game relies solely on Travis Etienne being a dual-threat back.

That's not to say these two units aren't talented or capable of great things, they're just not better than the Steelers duo. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh's offense, they will continue to be disrespected until they prove it on the field.

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