‘It seems directionless’: Kyle Brandt wonders where the Steelers franchise is headed

For the 2023 season, I would have called the Pittsburgh Steelers overachievers. They went 10-7 and sneaked into the playoffs despite starting three different quarterbacks, dealing with a series of injuries on defense and having Matt Canada as their offensive coordinator. The 2024 season was very different – ​​and leaves the Steelers on the other side of the coin. They have fallen well short of their targets and there are far fewer excuses that can be made for their shortcomings.

Last offseason, it was easy to convince yourself that if the Steelers could just get the right quarterback, if the defense could just stay healthy, or if they could just get a real offensive coordinator, their problems would go away. They improved tremendously in all three areas, and in the end it didn’t matter. It is now much harder to see a positive path forward.

“It’s so rare that we look at Pittsburgh and say, ‘Where is this franchise headed?'” Kyle Brandt said on Good Morning Football on Monday. “It seems directionless. Even if they lose, even if they narrowly miss the playoffs, they always have a direction. You always know the brand and know what you’re getting.”

The offense is already weak, and now the Steelers have some pretty big questions to answer this offseason. Will Arthur Smith end up pursuing any of these head coaching opportunities? Will Russell Wilson or Justin Fields return? If not, who the hell is the quarterback? It seems unlikely that Najee Harris will come back, so they could be right back in running back purgatory like they were four years ago. Jaylen Warren will be there, but can he be a slam dunk?

What happens to George Pickens? He’s under contract next year, but if you don’t extend him, he’ll be a lame duck before free agency in 2026. Will this cause problems the Steelers don’t want to deal with?

How much longer can Cameron Heyward and TJ Watt dominate on defense? Is Minkah Fitzpatrick part of the solution to keeping him at his price? If the defense can no longer carry the Steelers, are they on their way to finishing last in the NFL?

The problems appear to be far less solvable than they were a year ago, and with pick No. 21 in the draft, it won’t be easy to address the quarterback problem if Wilson or Fields don’t fit into the Steelers’ plans. It’s also important to remember that Wilson just had a $1.21 million contract. Whatever they choose, it will be more expensive, leaving a larger percentage of the salary cap tied to the quarterback, leaving less to improve the roster elsewhere.

To briefly highlight the positive side of things: GM Omar Khan has drafted better than Kevin Colbert in recent years. Poor drafting is what got them into this mess in many ways. It could have been different if the offense had played at a high level all year. There is at least some hope that the recent investments will arrive sooner rather than later, but the Steelers suffered an inordinate number of injuries, including a season-ending injury to their 2024 first-round pick Troy Fautanu along the O-line. That would be a good start to turning things around if this group could become dominant.

Regardless, there are far more questions than answers for the Steelers this offseason.