Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are QB1 and QB2 on the list. There are rumors about Brandon Aiyuk and a possible trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers’ draft class has filled a lot of holes and they go into 2024 without many really glaring holes on the roster. General Manager Omar Khan wouldn’t have it any other way.

A lackluster Steelers offense led to the hiring of Arthur Smith and the firing of the entire quarterback room starting in 2023. The defense returns nearly all of its key players and adds inside linebacker Patrick Queen and some depth in the secondary. The outlook looks good for a team that barely made the playoffs last season, only to be quickly dumped by the Buffalo Bills.

Thankfully, I can do it again this season with Flavell’s Five Thoughts. As always, I have a few, so without further ado, let’s talk about the Steelers.

It seems pretty clear that a large portion of Steelers fans want to see Justin Fields at quarterback when the Steelers open the season in Atlanta on September 8th. I’m excited to see what he has to offer, too. There’s no doubt his potential is higher than Wilson’s. What the Steelers have lacked over the last few seasons is a reliable quarterback. Wilson will provide that.

The Steelers aren’t getting the old Russ Wilson anymore. He’s not the MVP-caliber, Super Bowl-winning quarterback he once was. However, Wilson offers a baseline game that will far surpass that of the Kenny Pickett/Mason Rudolph tandem. He still has a good, lively arm that will help stretch the field and use a weapon like George Pickens more often on the outside. The attacking power in the middle of the field that wasn’t there when Pickett was throwing the ball will be of greater use going forward.

With Arthur Smith, the offense as a whole will be a true NFL offense, as opposed to Matt Canada’s scheme (if you can even call it that) from last season. Wilson will provide stability underneath.

Fields is dynamic and I’m sure there will be packages for him. If Wilson is worse than projected, I think Mike Tomlin would love to see Fields get a chance to run the Steelers offense. There’s a good chance that with Fields, the Steelers have their quarterback for 2025 and hopefully beyond.

The Steelers’ draft class served its purpose and the selection was almost as perfect as it could be. Troy Fautanu was a top pick. He played a lot of college football and started many games on one of the best offensive lines in the country.

The Steelers went into the draft without a starting center. Zach Frazier fell to them and they snapped up a pick very quickly. These aren’t sexy picks, but they are two guys who filled important holes on the Steelers’ roster.

However, it is the Steelers’ next two picks that excite me the most.

Wide receiver Roman Wilson, the first of two third-round picks by the Steelers, certainly has a chance to make a splash in his rookie season. As the roster currently stands, it consists of George Pickens and then a number of unproven and uncertain NFL talent. Wilson scored 12 touchdowns at Michigan last season and was a favorite target of first-round quarterback JJ McCarthy.

If he looks good in training camp after his injury, there’s a chance he can carve out a solid role for himself in the Steelers’ offense. A trade for a key wide receiver might limit his chances somewhat, but he’ll still try to play a role.

Payton Wilson is as talented an inside linebacker as you can imagine. He’s a real firecracker and the Steelers got him at a point where they absolutely had to take him. There is a lot of uncertainty at the position behind Patrick Queen after Cole Holcomb suffered a devastating injury last season and Elandon Roberts finished the season injured despite being sore.

Wilson has an important role for the Steelers and doesn’t need to be forced into every down, but if I had to bet, I’d say he’ll have earned a lot of it by the time the final whistle blows at Acrisure Stadium in January against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Minkah Fitzpatrick is one of the top 30 players in the NFL when healthy. I don’t care what’s on the top 100 NFL players list, especially when there are three players ranked higher than Patrick Mahomes, but that’s a topic for another time.

Fitapatrick is a ball hunter who also sails all over the field and often leads the Steelers in tackles. He is a human projectile and the Steelers missed his production last season as he only played in 10 games before returning for the playoff game and making 10 tackles.

He has 19 interceptions in six seasons, and last season he had zero. Not only did he injure himself last season, but the Steelers were forced to use Fitzpatrick in a way he didn’t really need to play. Instead of sitting up front and playing a true free safety who runs around and tries to make a play on the ball, Fitzpatrick played a lot more in the box and helped stop the run because the Steelers didn’t have the personnel to let him play at his actual position.

It’s no secret that a good pass rush always leads to more turnovers because it forces quarterbacks to play faster. With TJ Watt and Co. rushing from the outside again this season, the Steelers will get some interceptions from the former Alabama star.

Speaking of Alabama’s standout players, Najee Harris’ fifth-year option was declined, leading to speculation that the Steelers will move on after this season with the cheaper option at the position that has proven to be more explosive so far.

I tend to believe that the Steelers will continue to ride their winning streak as the season progresses and there will be no true RB1. The rankings will likely list Harris as the RB1 unless Warren takes over the spot entirely.

Arthur Smith’s offense will focus more on the running game and use the tight ends in the passing game, a welcome sight for a team known for those two positions. I think this is Harris’ best chance to succeed after years in an offensive system that just wasn’t NFL-level. He’s still a guy who has three 1,000-yard seasons under his belt, so he’s by no means a bust, but it’s clear many want more consistency from Harris.

Warren is the go-getter who handles the ball well in the passing game and also has the ability to turn a short lead into a long run by knocking down potential tacklers.

The Steelers are best advised to label Harris and Warren as RB1 A&B because they don’t have to let ego or pedigree get in the way. If Harris starts the game and is going well, ride him. If Harris isn’t playing well and Warren is providing the momentum the team is looking for, he needs to stay in the game. It just needs to be a game plan/game flow type tandem.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were a playoff team last season. This year, the mountain to climb appears to be larger, with a handful of injured quarterbacks returning to the AFC, including Joe Burrow, Aaron Rodgers and Anthony Richardson. All three teams missed the playoffs last season and, with their playmakers fully healthy, arguably had even better chances than the Steelers to make it.

The Steelers have also gained reinforcements at quarterback with Wilson and Fields, so they are not necessarily among the bottom teams in the AFC.

Many people place a lot of emphasis on the Steelers’ schedule this season, as they are playing the “easier” part of the schedule before their off week in Week Nine. All of their divisional games will be played in the final eight weeks of the season, with four consecutive AFC North divisional games in Weeks 11-14.

I’ll take the more optimistic approach and say that the Steelers, assuming they’re healthy, will finish 11-6. They’ll use the first part of their schedule to get off to a strong start at 6-2, with losses in the opening game at the Falcons and a few weeks later at the Colts.

They always play well in the AFC North squad and finish worst case 3-3 in this stretch. A win over the Commanders after the off week would tie for a win in the Kenny Pickett Bowl, which would be an 11-win season and the second wild-card spot.

They will win a playoff game but lose in the Divisional Round. Still, it will be a huge step forward for a team that has won a playoff game less time than the Pittsburgh Penguins have won a Stanley Cup.

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