Steelers Offseason Strategy Is Still A Mystery After Wild Opening To 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

The Pittsburgh Steelers offseason is in full swing with the NFL Scouting Combine entering its third day of on-field workouts. Free agent speculation is the talk of social media, and the fans want every big name that comes across the board. 1,000 general managers are plugging away on social media at what Omar Khan’s first offseason as the GM should look like.

One thing is for sure, unlike the last two seasons the Pittsburgh first-round pick is not a lock. Najee Harris was a poorly kept secret and then there was little doubt that the last draft would involve a quarterback. In retrospect, the Steelers chose right and placated the Pittsburgh fan base by attempting to heal the long-standing wound of Dan Marino when they picked Kenny Pickett.

No matter how you feel about Pickett and Harris as players, it can’t be denied that they are solidified as starters for the foreseeable future. They both have flashed maddening inconsistencies and tantalizing talent, but the last two first-round draft picks were spent on offensive skill positions and that means pretty much nothing when it comes to this offseason. The only sure thing in the 2023 NFL Draft is that the Steelers are not going to pick a quarterback and a running back in the first two days, we think. 

Last season, Kevin Colbert broke character and signed two free agents to fix the offensive line in Mason Cole and James Daniels. The term fixed is probably a little too strong, but there is no doubt that they solidified the group and improved the performance on that side of the ball. They are probably not future Pro Bowlers, but the first Steelers dynasty in the 1970's won four championships with an offensive line that got very little recognition.

Steelers May Be Flying Under The Radar To Make A Free Agent Splash

The Steelers have been associated with trades for Jalen Ramsey, signing Taylor Lewan off the scrap heap, and reuniting Tremaine Edmunds and Terrell Edmunds. The moves would be wildly expensive and would almost certainly cost them Cam Sutton and possibly prevent extending Alex Highsmith. The Steelers could free up $20-$30 million dollars in cap space by restructuring and releasing certain veterans, but they have not committed to anything publicly.

The Steelers have been most often associated with a cornerback in mock drafts or an offensive tackle. Things have changed as players like Bryan Bresee from the Clemson Tigers, who was once projected as a top-10 pick, is now showing up as available for Pittsburgh in mock drafts when they select at 17. Offensive tackles like Dawand Jones from Ohio State and Blake Freeland from BYU were available in the third round of mock drafts in February and now they will be gone by early in the second round if you believe the prognosticators.

What changed? Absolutely nothing. Bresee is a real head-scratcher. He impressed on the first day of the combine and is now free-falling on the Pro Football Focus draft simulator. None of these players have played a down or been caught up in misdemeanor charges for reckless driving.

The CBS mock draft after Jalen Carter’s legal trouble had him falling all the way to the Steelers at pick 17. He was the consensus first non-quarterback off the board on Monday's CBS mock draft and on Friday, he was the consensus first non-quarterback off the board again on CBS. In between, he fell into and out of the black and gold’s hands.

The point is that this is all speculation and the Pittsburgh brain trust of Mike Tomlin, Khan, and Andy Weidl are not showing any of their cards. The Steelers are a mystery again and that is a good thing. Free agency will probably clarify the strategy they are pursuing, but until then, we are all just guessing and that puts us all on an equal footing in the dark. It's a big game of pin the tail on the donkey and it is the next best thing to watching games on Sunday.