With 2023 ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøtraining camps set to kick off the week of July 24, it's time to get up to speed on all 32 ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøteams. Eric Edholm has the lowdown on position battles, key players and notable subplots across the AFC North:
Catch up on the Pittsburgh Steelers' offseason and 2023 outlook below ...
Training Camp Dates/Information
- Players report: July 26 (rookies & veterans)
- Location: Saint Vincent College | Latrobe, Pennsylvania ()
Notable Roster Changes
| 2023 Draft class | Selection |
|---|---|
| OT Broderick Jones | Round 1 (No. 14 overall) |
| CB Joey Porter Jr. | Round 2 (No. 32) |
| DT Keeanu Benton | Round 2 (No. 49) |
| TE Darnell Washington | Round 3 (No. 93) |
| OLB Nick Herbig | Round 4 (No. 132) |
| CB Cory Trice | Round 7 (No. 241) |
| OL Spencer Anderson | Round 7 (No. 251) |
Preseason ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íø
- Week 1: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 11
- Week 2: vs. Buffalo Bills | 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 19
- Week 3: at Atlanta Falcons | 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 24
2023 ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íø Notes
- Eighth easiest strength of schedule in 2023 based on their opponents' 2022 win percentage (.470).
- One of three teams to finish with three games versus 2022 playoff teams (vs. Bengals, at Seahawks, at Ravens).
-- ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷ÍøResearch
Subplots To Track
1) It was an up and down rookie season for Kenny Pickett, the only quarterback drafted in the top 73 picks in 2022. There were some positive signs, such as cutting down on turnovers; after throwing eight INTs in his first five games, he had only one in his final eight starts. Pickett also took fewer sacks down the stretch. Still, his accuracy waned as a trying rookie season wore on, and generating big plays in the pass game proved difficult all year.
The hope is that an improved offensive line, along with strides from young targets George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth, will make this a more fruitful passing game. But Pickett also must take a leap in his game, and offensive coordinator Matt Canada has to help him do that.
2) The assumption is that the Steelers will block better this season. But we won't know how this revamped line will fare until the pads go on. The Steelers started Chukwuma Okorafor, Dan Moore Jr., Kevin Dotson, James Daniels and Mason Cole up front in 2022. Changes are afoot, though.
Free-agent signing Isaac Seumalo is the new left guard, replacing Dotson, and first-round pick Broderick Jones should have every chance to unseat Moore at left tackle. Either way, the depth and talent has been upgraded.Â
But for this group to improve, it must be better run blocking for Najee Harris and Co. Too often, Steelers runners had few big holes to exploit last season, especially with runs to the left. Seumalo is a road grader in the run game, and Jones has the athletic skill and pop to improve the push.Â
3) Another area where the Steelers made wholesale changes was at linebacker. They took last year's top ILB trio -- Myles Jack, Devin Bush and Robert Spillane -- and replaced them with Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Tanner Muse. (Holdover Mark Robinson could be a factor, too.)
Holcomb is probably the most established of the new three as an every-down candidate. The Steelers likely will start two ILBs but often could play with only one on the field at any given time. Improving the output from that spot is key. Pittsburgh had almost no playmaking potency at ILB -- zero combined takeaways and only one sack from last year's top ILB trio. That isn't ideal.
