The Steelers are my “Yes, but” team. They are going to be hard to figure out this year.

Got a new Offensive Coordinator – Yes, but – it’s Arthur Smith.

Got a new Quarterback – Yes, but – it’s Russell Wilson and Justin Fields

Have great defensive players – Yes, but – the overall defense isn’t that great.

The big news in the offseason was the Steelers’ work on improving the quarterback room from last year. Kenny Pickett just wasn’t going to be the solution. Picking up Justin Fields was a great low risk/high reward type of move. He’s got great talent and potential, he just needs good coaching to help smooth over the deficiencies in his throwing. He may never get better there, but it’s a pretty small investment for someone who could still develop into a franchise quarterback. Russell Wilson is the high risk/low reward move.

Wilson might remind fans of the Roethlisberger era, with all of his running around and improvising. He’s regressed since his Super Bowl years in Seattle. The ball never seems to come out on time anymore and his athleticism is fading. His leadership has been questioned for years. Mike Tomlin does not need another “me first” attitude in the locker room. Wilson is going to make some plays this year that make fans say wow, but he’s also going to lose games on a bad interception or taking a sack that keeps them out of field goal range. That’s just the player he’s become.

Defensively, the Steelers have some future hall of famers. TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick might be the best at their positions in the NFL when they are healthy. And they give everybody the false feeling that this defensive unit as a whole is as good as they are. But last year they were only 21st in yards allowed. Since 2016, they have ranked: 12th, 5th, 6th, 5th, 3rd, 24th, 13th and 21st in yards allowed.

We think of Steelers as a tough running game with a ferocious “Blitzburgh” defense. But this version looks like they are going to rely more on an improvising Russell Wilson and a fading defense to try and sneak up on a few teams. Unfortunately, this might be the end of Coach Tomlin’s winning season streak.

By the way, how crazy is it to hear players talking about how much better the offensive coaching is this year? How bad must it have been last year?

2024 Prediction: 8-9 4th AFC North