At least the Steelers won't have to worry about falling short of expectations this season. As OTAs continue, their offseason continues to be panned in NFL circles.
The latest critic is ESPN's Bill Barnwell, one of the most analytically inclined NFL columnists out there. He says the Steelers had the third-worst offseason in the league, citing their rash of departures on defense.
"They were forced to eat their financial vegetables and watch Bud Dupree and Mike Hilton leave in free agency," Barnwell writes. "With the organization moving on from Steven Nelson, cornerback has gone from being one of the team's biggest strengths to one of Pittsburgh's thinnest positions."
Barnwell is right about that: Pittsburgh's group in the secondary is thin. Outside of Joe Haden and Cameron Sutton, they're counting on the inexperienced Justin Layne (only 117 defensive snaps in his first two seasons) and possibly rookie Shakur Brown to play substantial roles. They are also without Dupree, one of their best playmakers.
Though Barnwell cites bringing back Ben Roethlisberger as a positive move — along with re-signing JuJu Smith-Schuster — he brings up the sizable concerns up front. It's hard to fathom how Roethlisberger will stay upright behind this crew.
"The offensive line is also a mess, with the Steelers losing Maurkice Pouncey to retirement and both Matt Feiler and Alejandro Villanueva to free agency," Barnwell writes.
And, in what is probably music to Andrew Fillipponi's and Chris Mueller's ears, Barnwell also questions the Najee Harris selection. "Their decision to try to revitalize the running game by using a first-round pick on Alabama star Najee Harris also seemed curious given what we know about the position," he writes.
Indeed, the Steelers are hoping Harris can rejuvenate the league's worst rushing attack. But as we know, running backs need room to run. Will Harris receive any on this team?
With those questions in mind, the Steelers' decision to take Harris was probably one of the more scrutinized moves of the NFL Draft. ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper gave the Steelers the lowest grade among NFL teams in his analysis. Like Barnwell, he raised objections to the Harris pick.
"Round 1 is too valuable, and we've seen over the past decade that good running backs can be found in any round — or even as undrafted free agents," Kiper wrote. "And when I look at this Pittsburgh roster, I see bigger holes."
Overall, the Steelers are entering this season with more questions than last year. Bleacher Report recently gave them a "D+" for their maneuvers, or lack thereof.
Pro Football Focus, meanwhile, gives them the worst chance to win the AFC North.
The Steelers may be running back the old band with Mike Tomlin and Roethlisberger, but they may soon find themselves in an unfamiliar place: the AFC basement.
