The Pittsburgh Steelers had front-row seats to the annual Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and practices over the last week with the team's defensive backs coach, Grady Brown coaching the national team defense and head coach, Mike Tomlin also getting involved on the field. The team is looking to address some key needs over the off-season and team insiders said the Steelers weren't shy in hiding their focus:
On the first day, it was the big men of the offensive and defensive lines that caught the focus of the Steelers brass. Some early mock drafts have the team addressing the offensive side which would make sense sense, despite improvements throughout the season, still doesn't feel like the ideal starting group to open up lanes for Najee Harris and keep Kenny Pickett upright.
“He said he likes watching the big guys because that’s where all the action’s happening,” Florida guard O’Cyrus Torrence said about Tomlin to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. “No offense to the little guys.”
Steelers Not Singularly Focused in 2023
In 2022, it was painfully obvious that the organization was looking for a way to replace the recently departed franchise quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger in the scouting process that led to the selection of Pickett in the first round. The team is taking a wider look this year to also potentially address some needs on defense, particularly in the secondary with Brown watching closely and carefully for the tackling ability needed to keep up in a tough AFC North:
"The first thing we have to be able to do in our division, we have to be able to tackle,” Brown said about what he's watching on this scouting trip. “Cleveland is going to make you tackle. Baltimore is gonna make you tackle. You’ve got to tackle [Cincinnati running back, Joe] Mixon. You’ve got to be able to tackle all those guys."
Brian Flores has been busy giving interviews in the process of potentially becoming a coach or a coordinator with another franchise, but while still a member of the organization, he's also part of the staff that made the over six-hour flight from Pittsburgh to have a look at some of the next generation of players. With his official title as linebackers coach, does this mean the Steelers are looking for a way to beef up the depth at that position?
Last year when it was all hands on deck to scout quarterbacks, it was the offensive coaches, like coordinator Matt Canada and QB coach Mike Sullivan, that featured prominently on Senior Bowl week. This year, it seems to be the other side of the ball getting all the attention.
The team has a number of positions it needs to address this off-season and might be showing Steeler Nation that it plans to address the defensive ones via the draft.
More must-reads: