PITSBURGH, PA — If the road to the NFL regular season was a racetrack, we’d be on rounding turn two into turn three at Talladega.
OTAs are the metaphorical beginning of the new season, where players from all 32 teams meet at their facilities together for the first time since the previous campaign. New draftees, signees, and trade acquisitions don some semblance of their new threads, and from here on out, it is all systems go.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most hyped teams in the league in terms of their collection of all three of the aforementioned types of players. Their draft class is widely regarded as one of the league’s best, they signed quarterback Russell Wilson, and their acquisition of quarterback Justin Fields set up one of the more intriguing quarterback battles in recent memory.
And while that will be the aspect that gets the most attention for the next several weeks (and understandably so), what may be flying under the radar is just how good the Steelers’ linebackers are, and their potential to be the best the team has seen in quite sometime.
Pittsburgh snagged star linebacker Patrick Queen from the Ravens by giving him the largest external free agent contract in franchise history (three years, $41 million) and they added the consensus No. 1 linebacker in the 2024 draft class, Payton Wilson, who slid to them with the 98th overall pick.
Both guys have looked incredibly fast in OTAs on the South Side of Pittsburgh, and both have spoken very highly of one another.
“Athelte,” Queen told reporters when asked about his first impression of Wilson. “[He’s] got that mindset. You can kind of tell [by] the way he talks [that] he’s a really smart football player… That’s the type of guy you want in your room.”
#Steelers rookie LB Payton Wilson has caught the early attention of Patrick Queen. His first impressions?
“Athlete. Got that mindset. You can kind of tell the way he talks. He’s a really smart player. … That’s the type of guy you want in your room.” pic.twitter.com/zMwOPCJF6M
— Aaron Becker (@Aaron_M_Becker) May 22, 2024
The Steelers are already showing great trust in the rookie from North Carolina State. During team drills on Thursday, the Steelers went into their dime package, and kept Wilson on the field as the lone dime backer.
I spoke with Wilson after Thursday’s practice, and he said it felt great to have that faith being put in him.
“Yeah, it’s great to have that type of trust and faith put in me in that kind of situation,” Wilson said.
He also gave a tip of the cap to this linebacking corps- one that Wilson says has the potential to be really great.
“This group as a whole, really, with PQ, Elandon [Roberts], Cole Holcomb, and myself- this can be a really special group.”
A great group of linebackers is something the Steelers haven’t had in quite sometime. Which is especially odd considering for over 30 years, that was the staple of the team. From Jack Lambert and Jack Ham in the 1970s, to Greg Lloyd and Levon Kirkland in the 1990s, to Joey Porter, James Farrior, and James Harrison in the 2000s- the Steelers were always expected to have one of the premier groups of linebackers in football. However, they have seen a great drop off over the last decade. Ever since Ryan Shazier’s career ending injury, the Steelers have taken multiple swings and misses at suitable replacements.
“They’ve tried Jon Bostic, they’ve tried Sean Spence, they’ve tried Devin Bush, and they’ve tried Joe Schobert,” Chris Carter of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said to me on Black & Gold Breakdown. “They’ve tried everything. Nothing has stuck, and that’s been a point that offenses have needled at for years. And now, if this is the group that fixes it, that defensive front that can still be extremely dominant… and you combine that with the safety group they have… this could be a complete defense.”
It’s not just the linebackers that look great, either. The young cornerback room is showing up and looking good on the practice field. Cory Trice, Darius Rush, Beanie Bishop- all three guys that are competing for playing time, and all three have stood out this week.
Rush in particular had a great practice Thursday. The second-year corner told me that he is especially looking forward to this season and is willing to play wherever he is asked to in order to get on the field.
“Last year was a little chaotic for me,” Rush said. “I was with two different teams before I ended up here… I’m happy to be here, know I’m here, and go out and compete… I feel good about my versatility. I’ll play outside, I’ll play slot, I’ll play kickoff- whatever they need. When you want playing time, you’ve got to be willing to do everything, and I am.”
Now, we’re already seeing the same song-and-dance that is done every offseason with the Steelers begin again. Everyone is once again saying “Yup, this is the year the Steelers will bottom out” or “Yup, this is the year Mike Tomlin will only win seven games.”
Mind you, the Steelers haven’t won less than eight games since 2003, and they haven’t finished last in the AFC North/Central since 1988. This is a team that was a tire fire at quarterback last season and called multiple players off the street and out of retirement to fill holes on defense in the final month of the season due to various injuries.
That team finished with 10 wins.
Not to mention the fact that Pittsburgh has won seven of their last eight against the Baltimore Ravens, and the combined record of Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson against Pittsburgh is 5-7.
And it’s because of all that, along with the fact that the Steelers have severely upgraded at quarterback, offensive coordinator, offensive line, across their defense, and Mike Tomlin still having a pulse that it’s impossible to tell me this team will somehow be worse than a team that trotted out Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph with a bottom-five offensive line and made the playoffs.
Like it or not, this is the most complete team the Steelers have had in a very long time- maybe since the rookie year of Ben Roethlisberger in 2004. Will the wins be extravagant 35 point performances every week? Probably not. But they will be wins, and at minimum, the Steelers will be right where they always are in December- in the playoff picture.
