The Pittsburgh Steelers have been getting some love from an unlikely source this offseason. Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd usually tends to pick on Pittsburgh, and he's not a big fan of Head Coach Mike Tomlin, but he's been hyping the team up as a playoff contender in 2023. Cowherd was back to being critical of Pittsburgh during a recent segment of his popular show The Herd when he called out the offensive line.
Cowherd admitted that he has come around on quarterback Kenny Pickett and thinks that he is good enough. His real worry in Pittsburgh is still the guys in front of Pickett that are supposed to give him enough to make plays. He likened it to a situation he's talked about before with the Buffalo Bills and not solving issues with its offensive line as well.
"My whole question with them is the same as Buffalo," he said. "Can you get the offensive line right?"
The organization is undergoing another revamp on the offensive line this summer after starters James Daniels and Mason Cole were added via free agency in 2022. Dan Moore Jr.'s starting spot is in jeopardy to rookie Broderick Jones, who is biding his time patiently until he takes over. Super Bowl-winning guard, Isaac Seumalo comes over from the Philadelphia Eagles to help form the "Pickett fence." The Steelers unit got a bump up from Pro Football Focus in their first rankings of 2023, for whatever that's worth.
It's still fair to question how effective the line can be for the team in 2023, as we haven't even had training camp yet, but Cowherd is certainly not seeing the whole picture here. Understandably, he wouldn't keep track of every signing the Steelers made on the offensive line, and there were a bunch. Nate Herbig comes to Pittsburgh with starting experience and versatility. Le'Raven Clark has been a useful swing tackle in his six-year career and even played guard for a season with the Indianapolis Colts.
Cowherd also failed to mention anything about the running game, which running back Najee Harris said recently, is going to be a big part of Pittsburgh's identity. Harris will likely carry the load, but budding star Jaylen Warren should play a larger role than in his rookie year.
Co-host Jason "J Mack" McIntyre also made sure to mention that Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada "leaves a little to be desired." Canada still being here will also play a huge factor in what kind of levels of success the team can have on offense.
Steelers Defense Is The Big Difference Maker According To Cowherd
The whole reason the pair were even talking Steelers to begin with was because of TJ Watt's Father's Day appearance on the Footbahlin podcast with former Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. It was Watt's comments on the optimism he has for the defense that got them interested. After giving some props to Roethlisberger for his work on his podcast, Cowherd said the team has good players and that if most don't get hurt, they're a contending team.
McIntyre is intrigued by the team's pick-up of veteran Patrick Peterson. He also mentioned his excitement to see if they end up starting Joey Porter Jr. Cowherd nodded in approval before saying 'the Ohio State kid." His co-host quickly corrected him, naming Porter's school: Penn State.
Cowherd was so impressed with their defense, he couldn't just pull out another use of the word good during the segment and decided to leave dead air instead. The team is hoping the unit can make more people speechless next year, and when it includes Watt, Alex Highsmith, Cam Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick, that seems like a fair assessment.
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