Football
The Pittsburgh Steelers made some major moves this offseason, adding to an offensive attack that needed a real jolt in the arm.
On top of hiring Mike McCarthy as the 17th head coach in franchise history, McCarthy brings his expertise to the offensive side of the football, where he’ll call plays and try to scheme up a potent attack. Along with McCarthy’s hiring, the Steelers also traded for proven veteran receiver Michael Pittman Jr., signed running back Rico Dowdle and invested heavily in the offensive line once again in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Steelers also extended tight end Darnell Washington and traded up in the second round of the draft to land one of the top receivers in the class in rookie Germie Bernard.
Across the board, things look pretty good offensively, even with questions surrounding 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who returns for a second season in the Steel City.
Despite how good the depth and talent look on offense in Pittsburgh, CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin ranked the Steelers in one of the lower tiers when it comes to the offensive infrastructure around the quarterback position. The Steelers landed at No. 23 overall — tied with the Baltimore Ravens — in Tier 4.
The rankings, according to Dubin, are based on “which offenses are best positioned for success based on the talent with which the organization has chosen to surround their quarterback.”
Though Dubin doesn’t provide much explanation for his rankings of the Steelers, it’s a bit strange to see the Ravens and Steelers tied outside the top 20, with Baltimore getting the slight edge due to the presence of Derrick Henry.
Yes, Henry is a future Hall of Fame running back. He’s a world-beater. But the Ravens have major questions on offense. The offensive line lost a lot this offseason and will be counting on a number of new faces. Baltimore lost two key tight ends in free agency in Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar, too, leaving the depth chart bare behind a declining Mark Andrews, and while the Ravens invested heavily at receiver in the draft, Zay Flowers is the clear No. 1 and the room isn’t as strong as Pittsburgh’s.
Is Henry really the difference-maker between the Steelers and Ravens on offense around the quarterback?
That seems like a massive stretch from Dubin, considering the Steelers have a pretty darn good running back tandem in Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, too.
If quarterbacks were included in this ranking, the case for Baltimore over Pittsburgh would be clear because of Lamar Jackson. But the position isn’t included in the rankings, and it’s hard to see any argument for how Baltimore’s offensive infrastructure is better than Pittsburgh’s.
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