The Steelers’ offensive additions this offseason have a certain profile, but swift would not be part of that description. Losing Kenneth Gainwell, Calvin Austin III, and Scotty Miller, they have added Rico Dowdle and Michael Pittman Jr. While arguably as good or better comparably in talent, they’re certainly not setting speed records. And some executives around the league, in turn, don’t see them going anywhere fast.
“They got slower”, Mike Sando of The Athletic cited one as saying when asked about the Steelers’ offseason trade for Pittman. Adding of the running back, “Rico Dowdle is a comfort signing for Mike McCarthy, who had him in Dallas. Mike knows what he’s getting. Pittsburgh, until they figure out who is going to pull the trigger, is a B-minus team”.
Every team that doesn’t have a clear Super Bowl-contending quarterback under contract is going to be at a deficit. That goes without saying, and the Steelers fit that description even assuming Aaron Rodgers eventually signs this offseason. But team speed and make up for a lot of things, and ordinarily, that is something they have looked for.
A former second-round pick of the Colts, Pittman ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at the Combine. Considering it’s not uncommon for wide receivers to post times of a quarter-second faster, that’s a substantial difference. And seven years into his career, he isn’t about to start running faster. The Steelers opting to move on from Austin and Miller this offseason hurt their team speed, but that’s one variable.
While Gainwell didn’t have elite speed, he played faster than his 4.44-second time. Rico Dowdlle’s play arguably better fits his 4.54-second time, in comparison. Over his 69 games played, he only has nine explosive runs on 567 carries. Prior to last season, he never had a run of 30-plus yards, though now he has two. It is worth noting that five of his nine career explosive runs came last season, though. Including five of the six longest runs of his career. It helps to get them later in games, apparently.
Elsewhere on offense, the Steelers’ retained offensive players this offseason also retain the slower player pattern. Outside of DK Metcalf, they have Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, Jaylen Warren, and Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek. Perhaps Wilson could run a post pattern, and Metcalf of course. But they won’t be winning any track meets.
The offseason is not over, of course, and the Steelers could add some serious speed in the draft. It’s hard to say what kind of impact a rookie might have, though. There is room for a wide receiver, or maybe even two. But they would be playing behind Metcalf and Pittman, without question.
“What is the plan? What is the vision?”, Sando quoted another NFL executive as saying about the Steelers’ offseason. One imagines that comment had a lot to do with Aaron Rogers, who remains an enigma. He has made the Steelers publicly change their tune multiple times after initially sounding more optimistic about a relatively quick signing. Instead, his speed to sign a contract about matches the team speed NFL executives see on the Steelers’ offense.
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