Steelers News: Dig deeper, and the Steelers offense needs more than just a healthy Ben Roethlisberger

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 season is officially over. After finishing the year 8-8, the Steelers, and their vast fan base, has another long offseason awaiting them. Just because the games are done doesn’t mean we stop providing you with features, commentary and opinions to tide you over throughout the offseason!

Today in the black-and-gold links article we take a look at how the Steelers will need more than a healthy Ben Roethlisberger if the offense wants to rebound in 2020.

Let’s get to the news:

• The Pittsburgh Steelers offense was abysmal in 2019, and while many feel all the team needs is Big Ben back, they’ll need more than that.

Analysis: Steelers offense needs more than a healthy Ben Roethlisberger in 2020

By: Joe Rutter, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The worst fears for the Pittsburgh Steelers offense were realized in the second week of the season when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger exited at halftime against the Seattle Seahawks and never played another down.

With his departure, the Steelers went from possessing one of the top passing offenses in 2018 to one of the worst, finishing next-to-last among the 32 teams in net passing yards.

Still, it wouldn’t be prudent to think a soon-to-be 38-year-old quarterback coming off major elbow surgery will be the magic elixir for the Steelers offense in 2020.

A healthy Roethlisberger instantly will make the offense more respectable next season, but his return won’t solve all of the offense’s deficiencies.

They include:

• The lack of a bona fide No. 1 running back. Because of continued injuries to James Conner, roles changed and were redefined over the course of the season, with the replacement backs gaining little traction.

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

• 2020 could be a big year for offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor.

2020 could play out in many ways for young Steelers OL Chuks Okorafor

By: Chris Adamski, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Chuks Okorafor laughed. It was a question for which he had no answer.

What is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ coaching staff’s plans for him for the 2020 season?

“I have no idea yet where I stand in terms of whatever,” the young offensive lineman said the day after the season ended last week. “We will see. It’s a long, long offseason, so we will see how everything plays out.”

For Okorafor, there are plenty of possibilities for how 2020 might go. A tackle taken in the third round of the 2018 draft, it’s possible Okorafor will be given a chance to win the starting gig at right tackle again this summer. He was part of a four-way competition there last summer.

But Okorafor lost to Matt Feiler, and he even fell behind Zach Banner on the depth chart. Banner was active for all 16 games, and Okorafor was in uniform only three times. (Jerald Hawkins, the fourth man involved in camp, was traded in late August.)

Okorafor did start the Week 9 win against the Los Angeles Rams, but that was the only time all regular season he stepped onto the field.

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

• The Steelers need to do just 3 things to succeed in 2020?

Three things the Steelers must do in the offseason

By: Brooke Pryor, ESPN

After missing the postseason for the second consecutive year, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert will begin to make personnel decisions that will shape the team’s future.

The Steelers flourished on defense in 2019 but had major struggles on offense. To bounce back, the organization has some glaring holes to fill.

Pittsburgh, though, is primed to enter the 2020 season without much salary-cap space, thanks to the $33.5 million hit that comes with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s contract. It also bears mentioning that Colbert’s contract is set to expire after the 2020 NFL draft, and determining his future with the organization is paramount this offseason. In his 20th season as general manager, Colbert pulled off a risky trade to acquire Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for a first-round pick. With all that in mind, here are the top three items on the Steelers’ offseason to-do list:

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

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