The Titans acquiring Julio Jones is bad news for members of the Steelers' abysmal secondary: They're now going to square off against another elite receiver this season.
I hope the scoreboard operators are ready.
The Titans acquired Jones from the Falcons Sunday in exchange for 2022 second-round and 2023 fourth-round selections. Tennessee will pair Jones with A.J. Brown, creating one of the most potent deep-threat tandems in the league. Now the question is, will they still run an offense out of the 1950s, or open things up a little more?
It may not make a difference for the Steelers, who will square off against the Titans Dec. 19. The cast-strapped Black and Gold have experienced a litany of losses on defense this offseason, affecting all areas of the depth chart. Veterans Mike Hilton and Steven Nelson are gone, and Bud Dupree, one of their best playmakers, will play with Jones in Nashville. He inked an $82.5 million deal with the Titans.
The Steelers were already set to face off against an array of top wideouts in 2021: Stefon Diggs, Tyler Boyd, Keenan Allen and Tyreek Hill. Now they're adding Jones to the list. The seven-time Pro Bowler has surpassed the 1,100-yard threshold seven times in his illustrious 10-year career — including five campaigns of 1,400 yards or more.
Though Jones, 32, was hurt last year — he only appeared in nine games — he could be reinvigorated playing for a contender in a new conference. Pro Football Focus still ranks him as the highest-graded receiver since entering the NFL in 2011.
Outside of Joe Haden, the Steelers don't have a single cornerback whom they can trust. Cam Sutton is slated to start alongside Haden on the other side, but that would deprive the Steelers of a slot corner. Either way, it looks like Justin Layne (only 117 defensive snaps in two seasons) will be on the field quite often. That isn't a good sign.
As contenders in the AFC keep adding, the Steelers aren't getting better. Their best move of the offseason was bringing back Ben Roethlisberger on a discounted deal, despite his hellacious ending to last season. JuJu Smith-Schuster is back, too, after failing to draw interest on the free agent market.
But the offensive line is filled with holes, especially given the departures of Maurkice Pouncey and Alejandro Villanueva. A porous line could nullify Najee Harris' contributions. To the chagrin of many, the Steelers selected the Alabama standout in the first round, despite urgent needs elsewhere.
Either way, the Steelers will lean more heavily on Roethlisberger this season, just as he enters his age-39 season. Due to salary cap constrictions, they've been unable to improve the talent around him.
Meanwhile, the Browns signed Jadeveon Clowney, and the Ravens signed Villanueva to beef up their offensive line. Most importantly, they feature young quarterbacks on the ascent. Speaking of which, Joe Burrow will be ready for Week 1.
There's a reason why PFF gives the Steelers the worst chance to win the AFC North: 9.6 percent.
It's uncertain whether Jones will elevate the Titans. They experienced a disappointing postseason loss to the Ravens last January, in which Ryan Tannehill looked overwhelmed.
But the Titans made two big additions on both sides of the ball, and their latest one further exposes the Steelers' biggest defensive weakness. It is bad news for their bad corners, and may further add to the pain of a bad football season.
