It’s easy to get nervous when dealing with the unknown. Whether it’s something as simple as anticipation during a suspenseful movie not knowing how it ends or the heavy burden of real-life situations as one waits for the information from a test grade or job interview, having the satisfaction of a conclusion can sometimes erase the nervousness that will soon be forgotten.

Applying the same concept, although not to the same level as serious life situations, to the offseason of the Pittsburgh Steelers, there are many times where discussion points and concerns are front and center only to be erased in a moment after a move is made. But during that time of waiting for the plan to come together, it can be frustrating.

Unfortunately, we as fans are in the “wait and see how it plays out“ portion of the NFL offseason. The league year is almost a month old and the NFL draft is just a couple weeks away. Teams are caught in that in-between time where they don’t necessarily want to bank on what will be available in the draft or spend significant resources elsewhere only to have the answer present itself on draft night. Until this major unknown period passes, there are places where it looks like our favorite team is in big trouble if the draft doesn’t fall correctly.

There are obviously some glaring holes on the Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 roster. Releasing the player who started every game the last two seasons at center with the only other true center on the roster, as others are known more to be guards, is a player who spent the year on the practice squad is something that would fit this description. The Steelers must have a plan center. I’m sure they also have a back-up plan. Chances are, there’s even a back-up plan to the back-up plan. But right now Steelers’ Nation is in limbo as they wait to see what the Steelers have in mind.

Another major position of concern is wide receiver. The Steelers lost just shy of 1000 receiving yards in Diontae Johnson and Allen Robinson and replaced it with players with less than 400 yards of production from last year. Is there another move the Steelers are going to make outside of the draft or is that what they will rely on for additional help at the position?

Yet another position with major questions is cornerback. Although the Steelers added Donte Jackson in the Diontae Johnson trade, it seems the team is much higher on the player for the fan base. But even if Jackson works out, what are the Steelers doing at slot cornerback? Although a lot of Steelers’ Nation are high or some of the young cornerbacks on the roster, they are highly unproven and don’t bring the pedigree that instills confidence they can even make the roster.

Sometimes waiting for the plan to come together is seeing what the Steelers had in mind and already have available compared to what others are thinking. Are the Steelers wanting to run their offensive tackle position back for another season keeping Broderick Jones at right tackle and playing Dan Moore at left? Are the Steelers willing to use the premium draft capital on what would be a definite upgrade rather than something that would take time to progress? In this case, the Steelers plan could be to simply stand pat which would likely take many by surprise.

Sometimes it’s frustrating not knowing the plan. The Steelers could have all these things well under control at this moment and we as the fan base simply don’t know what’s ahead. The Steelers have been active in free agency in the days leading up to the draft, during the draft, and immediately following the draft in recent years. As their other plans came together, they made the movies that were necessary. Hopefully this can help put fans at ease that the Steelers will handle the situation.

One of the thing to consider is this: Do the Steelers want a repeat of Mitch Trubisky? To be clear, I’m not talking about the quarterback position at all. As Kevin Colbert was stepping out the door into retirement, he thought it was best to bring in a free agent quarterback after the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. But after doing so, the Steelers immediately turned around and used their first round draft pick at the same position, one where only one player is on the field at a time. Seeing how everything played out over the last two seasons, it ultimately didn’t work out for either player.

Keeping this in mind, ask yourself this question: If you were a wide receiver, center, or cornerback still available in free agency the second week of April, would you be in a rush to sign a deal unless it was for top dollar? Would you sign on with the Pittsburgh Steelers only to see them draft the same position in the first round at the end of the month? I don’t think I would.

I only bring this up because it is a possibility as to why the Steelers haven’t pulled the trigger even more at some of these positions. Maybe they have free agents in mind and both parties think it’s better to wait and see how the draft plays out. But once again, this is just another scenario of not knowing what the plan is going forward.

Before we know it, the Steelers will be back at St. Vincent College for training camp. By that time, I’m certain the plan at most, if not all, of these positions will be pretty obvious. More than likely these questions will be answered well before that time. But as we sit now, all we can do is wonder.