The Pittsburgh Steelers have done a lot to bolster their roster in 2022. Kevin Colbert, and Omar Khan’s combined efforts have made this team the deepest in several years. There are still some areas of concern however. Let’s review all the positions that could be the candidate as the Steelers biggest weakness in 2022:
Inside Linebacker:
One of the biggest free agent signings of the Steelers off-season was linebacker Myles Jack. It is the hope that Jack can stabilize what was a real problem area in 2021. The real key to the success of this group is the play of Devon Bush. Bush is coming off a horrendous season where he seemed unplayable at times. The optimist will say he was not fully recovered from his knee surgery. The pessimist will say is a bust as a first round pick. The Steelers will need a big comeback for Devon Bush, or the high expectations for this defense will take a huge blow.
Outside Linebacker Depth:
The outside linebacker position is by far the thinnest on this roster. As we stand today, Genard Avery and Derrek Tuszka are the primary backups at this position. A serious injury to either TJ Watt or Alex Highsmith would certainly mean disaster for this defense. Not only that, but the need to rotate players on defense becomes greater every year. Offenses play quite a bit of tempo and no huddle designed to wear out opposing defenses. This means the Steelers will have to play their backups meaningful snaps at times during games. Outside linebacker is a position where we would really like to see the Steelers add a veteran as training camp begins.
Quarterback:
As much optimism as there is for both Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky, quarterback still has to be considered a potential weakness on this team. There’s no getting around the fact that Pickett is a rookie quarterback coming from a very weak draft class. It’s entirely possible he has major struggles in his first season. As far as Mitch Trubisky, he also has major question marks going into 2022. The former second overall pick never found his form on a very bad Bears team. The Steelers acquired him coming off a season in Buffalo where he did not play a meaningful snap. With quarterback being the most important position on the field, this has a chance to implode the entire season if things go badly.
Tackle:
As much as the Steelers have done to bolster their offensive line, it still remains a concern. Last year’s unit was probably the worst in the league. Steelers plan at offensive line already in turmoil
The tackle position in particular is a major worry heading into 2022 as both starters return from last season. Chuks Okorafor may have been the best of a bad bunch from last year’s squad. He is a serviceable right tackle, nothing more. The hope is that Dan Moore Jr. builds on the flashes of good play he showed in his rookie campaign. His continued development could solve what could be the Steelers biggest weakness in 2022.
Corner:
This is not brought up nearly enough, but the Steelers corner back position has the potential to be a complete disaster in 2022. There is no number one shut down corner on this roster. The best the Steelers can hope for is that Akhello Witherspoon has finally figured it out after five years in the league. There were times in 2021 where he actually looked like an elite corner. His play is the key to how this corner position shakes out.
New addition Levi Wallace is barely good enough to be considered a number two corner. Cam Sutton got exposed as an outside corner last year, but should return to form in the slot. Behind them is not much to speak of on this roster. With questionable starters and very little depth, corner certainly could be the Steelers biggest weakness in 2022.