Why the Steelers have to fix their Offensive Line issues now

The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line was bad in 2021, and I know this is not a shocking revelation, but until the start of free agency/the 2022 NFL Draft the offensive line will continue to be the same bad unit it was last year. After some recent comments made by Steelers General Manager (GM), Kevin Colbert I’m starting to get a little worried the Steelers will remain status quo on the offensive line. Instead of opting to add talent, they may believe a new offensive line coach could magically make one of the worst lines in football instantly great. The problem is, even with great coaching you can only get so far with sub-par players.

If the Steelers don’t spend resources at overhauling the line the team’s offensive struggles will persist, and it won’t matter who is at quarterback, running back or wide receiver. The Steelers will welcome more three and outs, and more stretches without scoring in entire halves. The offensive line is the tip of the spear to a team’s offense. If it’s dull it won’t matter how hard you throw that spear. Watching Kendrick Green get dumped in the lap of Najee Harris play after play in 2021 won’t fix anyone’s running game. And watching Kevin Dotson, Green, and Trai Turner confusingly look at each other when they botch another blocking scheme won’t be good for any quarterback’s health.

I’ve been preaching it all offseason, but the Steelers must find at least two new starters on the offensive line, and preferably three.

What is the perfect scenario, you ask? I would like the Steelers to sign one of the top available lineman in free agency. On top of that, the team should use their first round pick on the line as well. In my opinion, this would be the bare minimum action for what needs to happen to fix the offensive line. I would still prefer to see two free agents and at least one draft pick.

For a model, the Steelers should do what the Kansas City Chiefs did last year when they brought it Orlando Brown, Kyle Long, Austin Blythe, Creed Humphrey, and Trey Smith in just one offseason. And if the Steelers did swing something like this it would likely make the Cincinnati Bengals weaker in the process as they are another team in desperate need of fixing its line, picking ahead of them in the draft is very fortunate for this.

In a perfect world the Steelers could land some combination of Terron Armstead, Ryan Jenson, Austin Corbett, and/or Tyler Linderbaum and have a great offensive line for the foreseeable future. A line like that would make life easy for the next quarterback they bring in and would allow Najee Harris to reach his potential as a top back, as well as keeping him healthy.

But what do you think? Is fixing the offensive line a must this offseason? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.