There are a lot of places where the Pittsburgh Steelers came up short during the 2024 season, particularly on offense. With the offense struggling down the stretch to move the football and put points on the board, there are plenty of theories as to what the Steelers need to do to improve on this next season. While many of those ideas are perfectly valid, sometimes there are easier answers.

For me, there is one thing that Steelers could do offensively that would help them tremendously whether they are trying to run or pass the football…

Have as many offensive threats on the field as possible.

I say this because I look at how the Steelers sometimes don’t maximize their “eligibles“ that are on the field. With five offensive linemen who are not permitted to touch the football, the quarterback has five players who are eligible on every play. When offenses take the field, the defense generally matches personnel based on players the offense is using for a given play. The best way to spread out the defense, not necessarily from a location standpoint but to have to make their assets be focused on a variety of things, if every player on the field is a viable threat than the defense must account for them.

Too many times last season the Steelers had players on the field who were not typically a big threat to do something special with the ball. Players like MyCole Pruitt and Connor Heyward along with receivers Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek, and Scotty Miller don’t really strike fear in the hearts of their opponents. Many of them do not create a match up issue to where the defense has to make sure they’re paying special attention to them. With a bunch of players like this on the field, sometimes with two or three of them at the same time, the defense can focus on fewer players and, therefore, have a greater chance of success.

The Steelers do have players on their roster that can be significant threats. Darnell Washington is so physically superior in stature he creates a matchup nightmare if utilized properly. Players like Pat Freiermuth and George Pickens has shown their worth. Even Mike Williams was potentially a deep threat in the small amount he was used with the Steelers, and, even though Calvin Austin is a small receiver, his speed has to be noted by the defense.

When looking at the running back position, Najee Harris might be a decent runner in the eyes of some but I believe Jaylen Warren poses much more of a threat due to the diverse ways he could be utilized. As for Cordarrelle Patterson, I think his days of being a big offensive threat on every play are behind him. Even at quarterback it is more useful to have a player who is a threat both passing and running the football. Every extra thing a player can do that must be accounted for by the defense can give the offense an advantage.

I feel that too many times during the 2024 season the Steelers used personnel groups where at least one player, if not more, was not truly a threat to the defense. I understand that players like Ben Skowronek are great run blockers. Unfortunately, when Skowronek is on the field he’s not taken seriously as a receiving threat to a point where it allows the defense to focus more on the run.

I know some of the problems with having enough diverse threats on the field for the Steelers offensively has to do with their roster makeup. The 2024 season is over. The Steelers will have a new roster come this fall. When the time comes to add players to the 90-man roster, the Steelers should be doing everything they can to get players not simply that they “like what they do“ and are “good teammates,“ but are players that offer a real threat to the defense in order to create the best matchups possible.