The Steelers still believe Ben Roethlisberger can lead them to a Super Bowl, but they have to fill these five needs in the offseason to help him do it.
There isn’t a team in the NFL who dealt with as much drama as the Steelers did last season. From Le’Veon Bell’s holdout to Antonio Brown’s circus act there was never a dull moment for Mike Tomlin and company. Ultimately, all of the distractions cost Pittsburgh a chance at the postseason. They finished tantalizingly short with a record of 9-6-1.
Roethlisberger isn’t going to play at a high level forever. There are already significant signs of slippage with the 36-year-old signal caller. He still threw for 5,129 yards and 34 touchdowns last season, but his 16 interceptions were a problem. Even so, he’s still good enough to lead the Steelers to a Super Bowl if he’s surrounded with enough talent.
There is still significant work for the front office to do this offseason. Whether they fix the following five positions through free agency or the draft, these holes must be filled to get the Steelers where they want to go in 2019.
5. Right tackle
Marcus Gilbert is a big name player but he only managed to play five games last year before going on IR. Combine that with his sizable cap number and it’s easy to see why his future in Pittsburgh is tenuous at best.
The one thing working in Gilbert’s favor is the lack of quality options at tackle available in free agency. Replacing him with an established commodity would prove to be very expensive. Someone like Daryl Williams might be worth it, but signing him or someone similar might tie the team’s hands at other positions.
Finding a tackle in the draft might be a more straightforward option, but Roethlisberger isn’t going to want to play behind a guy who isn’t ready on day one. Clearly that isn’t going to be an easy need for the Steelers to address, but they need more production at right tackle in 2019.