After buying and selling WR George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, the Pittsburgh Steelers received’t have their main passer, rusher or receiver from 2024 again in 2025. QB Russell Wilson left in free company, as did RB Najee Harris, and the crew dealt away Pickens. Former NFL head coach Tony Dungy mentioned on the Soccer Night time In America podcast that he doesn’t know what the Steelers are doing after buying and selling away Pickens, particularly as a result of their offense wasn’t good final season.
“Final 12 months right now, I used to be excited in regards to the Steelers. I felt like they introduced in a few quarterbacks who had potential. You’ll be able to work with Russell Wilson and develop your younger man, and you may be in good condition. Now, take these two guys away. We’ve obtained neither a type of quarterbacks. Our primary working again just isn’t there. Our primary receiver just isn’t there. And we weren’t adequate final 12 months on offense, so I don’t know the place we’re going. I don’t know what the plan is. Hopefully, it is going to take form, however I’m scratching my head proper now.”
Pittsburgh was all the time unlikely to deliver again Wilson and Harris, however the offense hasn’t gotten all that a lot better on paper. There’s an argument to be made that the run recreation shall be higher with Kaleb Johnson and Jaylen Warren main the backfield. DK Metcalf, who the crew acquired earlier this offseason, must be an improve over Pickens at receiver. Whoever winds up being the crew’s No. 2 receiver can even signify an improve over Van Jefferson, but it surely’s onerous to argue that this offense will definitively be higher than final 12 months, particularly with Aaron Rodgers nonetheless unsigned.
It’s clear that the Steelers prioritized getting worth for Pickens and weren’t going to re-sign him with 2025 being the final 12 months of his contract. However he made the crew higher in 2025. Whereas extra 2026 draft capital may very well be good for the longer term, the Steelers aren’t embracing the prospect of 2025 being a reset 12 months. The crew nonetheless has a watch on successful now, which is why the timing of the Pickens commerce was actually puzzling.
It appears as if the Steelers’ plan is to be adequate to doubtlessly make the playoffs subsequent season and push their chips all in for 2026 whereas searching for their franchise quarterback. But it surely’s comprehensible to see why Tony Dungy and others can be confused about what the crew is doing. The Pickens commerce made the Steelers worse, and it’s onerous to get enthusiastic about what this crew’s offense shall be in 2025.
