The Pittsburgh Steelers certainly entered the 2024 season with holes on the offensive side of the ball. They opened one on their own by trading starting WR Diontae Johnson, but that revealed itself as addition by subtraction. Still, they never adequately addressed the depth there, and injuries prevented them from having the offensive line they desired.
And it all caught up with the Steelers in the end, Gerry Dulac told Rich Eisen. They finished the season scoring 17 points or fewer in five consecutive games. During that time, they only averaged 263 yards of offense per game. And they ran for under 75 yards in three of those games.
“The offensive line, I think the injuries finally caught up with the Steelers”, Dulac argued. “You’re starting two rookies, and while Zach Frazier’s been outstanding, … they had issues with protection”.
After drafting three linemen, the Steelers intended for Broderick Jones to move to left tackle. First-rounder Troy Fautanu was to start at right tackle, but injuries limited him to one game. While Frazier took over at center as hoped, he did so due to injury. Starting RG James Daniels suffered a season-ending injury early in the year. Mason McCormick acquitted himself well in his place, but that severely limited depth.
As for the Steelers’ wide receiver room, “it just showed up what they feared all year”, Dulac argues. “They don’t have anybody besides George Pickens, and they don’t have anybody who can get open in the middle of the field. You add all those things together, and you saw a disconnect in the passing game for sure. And in the offense as a whole”.
For all the headaches he might cause, the Steelers clearly missed Pickens while he was injured. Sure, you might get the occasional Van Jefferson touchdown, but there is no consistent quality. Third-round pick Roman Wilson was another rookie who missed nearly the entirety of his rookie season, exacerbating the issues.
The Steelers’ post-mortem on the 2024 season should be informative about what not to do on offense. Quite clearly, they didn’t do enough to address the wide receiver position. While they reportedly made considerable efforts, they failed to land the plane, and that’s what counts.
Injuries, of course, are out of their hands. Perhaps the Steelers’ offensive line would have been better with Fautanu and Daniels—one would hope so, at least. But we haven’t even talked about the quarterback position yet and how that ties into the rest.
There were points during the season when the Steelers’ offense actually looked credible. It even gave HC Mike Tomlin the occasional opportunity to stick his chest out in defiance, short-lived as they were. But once they faced a higher level of competition, they were exposed. The clock ran out and they turned back into a pumpkin.
