3 questions still to be answered following the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2024 preseason
The 2024 preseason has come and gone and the Pittsburgh Steelers are now on to the games that matter. Traveling south to take on the Atlanta Falcons in two weeks, one of the most important times of the year is here for Pittsburgh. That would be the roster cutdown, where teams have to trim their […]
The 2024 preseason has come and gone and the Pittsburgh Steelers are now on to the games that matter.
Traveling south to take on the Atlanta Falcons in two weeks, one of the most important times of the year is here for Pittsburgh.
That would be the roster cutdown, where teams have to trim their rosters to 53 players, meaning potential opportunities for acquisitions and signings.
And while they can answer these three questions before the deadline on Tuesday, right now, Pittsburgh is still searching for answers here:
Who is WR #2?
If you look at the depth chart, it's clear that Van Jefferson is the second option to George Pickens. And while Jefferson put together a tremendous camp and solid preseason, we know things are very different when the games actually matter.
If teams approach Pittsburgh's offense and say, "Ok look, we're not letting 14 [George Pickens] beat us, let's double him and just dare their other guys to win," is Jefferson going to be able to do that?
If not, then maybe it's rookie Roman Wilson, but he has yet to make his Steelers debut as he nurses his ankle injury.
So whether it's an Aiyuk trade, an acquisition under the radar or a waiver wire add, I expect Pittsburgh to be active in terms of acquiring another threat on the perimeter.
What will the offensive line look like?
Injuries, less-than-stellar play, and a question of what to do with Dan Moore Jr., the unit that was supposed to be the strongest part of the offense leaves many with more questions than answers as the regular season approaches.
In an ideal world, rookie Troy Fautanu is at RT, Broderick Jones is at LT, and Zach Frazier is at center come Week 1.
But the questions of health and even ability still loom with that trio after the preseason, even if Broderick Jones bounced back nicely on Saturday in Detroit.
Will the CB group be a weakness?
Following an injury to Joey Porter Jr. (which is undisclosed) the Pittsburgh Steelers started Donte Jackson and Cory Trice Jr. against the Lions on Saturday. Trice looked very good (against backups) but even if those three are healthy, the team still has minimal depth and questions at slot CB with Beanie Bishop and Thomas Graham Jr. fighting for the starting role.
On top of that, Trice has injury concerns dating back to college and was on the postgame injury report with a groin.
While the talk of the offseason has been a WR trade, don't rule out one at CB as well, even if it's for depth.
