The Pittsburgh Steelers are grinding away this offseason, doing what everyone wanted them to do this offseason.

Make significant changes.

But not only have they overturned the roster at key positions, none more drastic than the quarterback depth chart, they are building an environment which might not be familiar for some players who have been around a few years with the Steelers.

What is the change? What is the difference in environment?

Competition.

The Steelers have built depth at a lot of key positions, with more being added hopefully in the coming days/weeks, but there are players who were assumed to have a roster spot “locked up” who will have to earn their spot.

Want an example? Think about someone like Calvin Austin III. Austin, a drafted player, missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury and failed to truly hit his proverbial stride in 2023. When you look deeper at Austin, and how he fits Arthur Smith’s offense, the new Steelers offensive coordinator always likes to have a “burner” on the roster. Austin fits the bill, right?

Well, he’s going to have to earn his spot.

The Steelers bringing in wide receiver Quez Watkins, who has similar speed to Austin with a bigger frame, means Austin isn’t a “lock” to make the roster. On top of that, Austin will have to prove he can be more than a gadget player to ensure he is on the 53-man roster when the dust settles after the team’s 3-game preseason.

The wide receiver position isn’t the only position which will have competition. The biggest, and most watched, competition will be at quarterback. Sure, Mike Tomlin said Russell Wilson will be in “pole position”, but like I suggested when Justin Fields was acquired, a competition will ensue to see who gives the team the best shot to win in 2024 and beyond.

Quarterback might not have been a position where the organization thought competition like this might take place. No one saw all three quarterbacks who made up the depth chart in 2023 being gone in 2024 with three new quarterback in to fill out the new depth chart. Even Omar Khan, Steelers General Manager (GM), said he was surprised they were able to get both quarterbacks.

“I’m excited about both of those players,” Khan said Monday at the NFL’s annual meeting here in Orlando. “They’re both really good quarterbacks. If you would have told me a month ago in Indy that we’d be here and Russell Wilson and Justin Fields would be our quarterbacks, I’d say, I’d be a little bit surprised.”

Competition is the name of the game for the Steelers this year, and some believe competition breeds success. A person who believes in this whole-heartedly is head coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin loves the “two dogs, one bone” philosophy, and that will be on full display starting in spring workouts and leading up to mandatory minicamp. From there it will turn to training camp and preseason to see who isn’t in “pole position”, but who is crossing the finish line as the leader of the pack.

Get your popcorn ready, this offseason is going to be one to remember for many reasons…