The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the Mike McCarthy era with more questions than answers. For starters, they don’t even know who’s going to be their quarterback.
However, GM Omar Khan has remained even-keeled during the early hours of free agency. Once again, the Steelers have been one of the quietest teams in the league, with their biggest move being yet another lofty short-term extension with DT Cameron Heyward.
That’s not what the fans should expect from a team desperately trying to get back to playoff contention. That’s why ESPN analyst Dan Graziano believes the Steelers don’t objectively value their roster. In a Thursday appearance on “Get Up,” he called out the Steelers for their unrealistic assessment of their roster:
“I don’t think the defense underachieved; that defense was getting old and played like an old defense last year,” Graziano said. “… You have to be honest with yourself about what you have. I think the Steelers overrated their roster the last couple of years.”
Even if the defense hadn’t aged, Mike Tomlin isn’t going to be there to call the shots anymore. Mike McCarthy is an experienced coach with plenty of regular-season success, but he’s not the defensive guru Tomlin was.
Aaron Rodgers is still mulling retirement and is in no rush to make a decision about his future. His imminent departure may also leave this team scrambling for a replacement, with not many options to choose from.
Once again, it looks like the Steelers are wasting a perfect opportunity to follow most teams’ playbook. Sooner or later, they will have to face facts and go through a full-scale rebuild.
They haven’t won a playoff game in nearly a decade, and the chances of doing so with the same roster that has routinely failed to take a leap seem slim, to say the least.
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