2023 AFC North Division Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers Will Win Nine Games Again With Kenny Pickett
The 2023-24 NFL season kick-off is almost here! OutKick is unveiling its team-by-team preview series. Last week, we covered the AFC and NFC West. This week, we're tackling the AFC and NFC North, continuing with last year's third-place finisher in the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh Steelers 2022-23 Record: 9-8
Pittsburgh Steelers 2023-24 Win Total Over/Under: 8.5
Offseason Moves
Free agency was a bit of a mixed bag for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They lost defensive veterans Cameron Sutton, Devin Bush, Terrell Edmunds and Chris Wormley. Sutton and Edmunds especially hurt since both players logged over 80% of the team's defensive snaps last season.
But they signed veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson and veteran safety/linebacker Keanu Neal to replace some of that production. The offensive line really struggled last season, so they added Isaac Seumalo to help out at guard. They also brought in veteran wide receiver Allen Robinson, who hasn't done much since a 1,200+-yard receiving season in 2020.
The Steelers smartly used its first-round pick in the NFL Draft on Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones. They needed a franchise left tackle to protect Kenny Pickett. Then, with the first pick in the second round, the team picked Penn State cornerback Joey Porter, Jr. -- son of Steelers legend Joey Porter. I love that pick, especially for a team replacing Cameron Sutton.
The Pittsburgh Steelers did really well during the NFL Draft, grabbing UGA offensive tackle Broderick Jones in the first round and then Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in the second round. (Photos via Getty Images)
Injury concerns pushed Georgia tight end Darnell Washington down in the draft and the Steelers grabbed him in the third round. Many projected Washington as a potential first-round pick, but medicals scared away teams. The Steelers used their other third-round pick on Wisconsin interior defensive lineman Keeanu Benton. It's hard to find fault with the Steelers NFL Draft strategy.
Season Outlook
Many people expect the Steelers to take a step backwards in 2023. I do not. Mike Tomlin is the third-best head coach in the NFL behind Bill Belichick and Andy Reid. And no one gets more out of less than Tomlin.
Mike Tomlin has coached the Pittsburgh Steelers for the past 16 seasons. And the team has ZERO losing seasons. That's ludicrous. I admit I wasn't the biggest Kenny Pickett fan heading into last year's NFL Draft. However, I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong. Though, I'm not fully committing to being wrong.
I'll say this: Pickett played much better last season than I expected. And he did so behind a bad offensive line. Plus, he made incredible plays in crunch time. He had three fourth-quarter comebacks and four game-winning drives in 12 games started. That's mighty impressive. The stats don't look incredible, but I saw a lot of positives from Pickett as a rookie.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Kenny Pickett are the keys for the team this NFL season as they try to battle their way through a tough AFC North division. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
I expect him to take a step forward and I expect Mike Tomlin to do what Mike Tomlin does: win football games. The standard is the standard.
For Tomlin and the Steelers, that standard is winning at least as many games as they lose. Their schedule is brutal and they're the third-best team in the division, but I think they win nine games again this season.