Pittsburgh Steelers ceiling and floor for 2023

The Pittsburgh Steelers had an uncharacteristically busy offseason that included significant roster turnover under general manager Omar Khan, who has quickly received the nickname, the "Khan Artist."

With the conclusion of training camp and preseason, here's the Steelers' ceiling and floor heading into Week 1.

Ceiling: 13-4

Everything Pittsburgh did this offseason was to help QB Kenny Pickett take a leap in year two. The team bolstered its offensive line by signing guard Isaac Seumalo and drafting left tackle Broderick Jones in the first round. The Steelers also provided new weapons for Pickett by trading for WR Allen Robinson II and drafting TE Darnell Washington in the third round.

So far, it seems to have worked. In the preseason, every offensive drive led by Pickett resulted in a touchdown. He completed 13-of-15 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns and had a perfect passer rating of 158.3. 

By all means, it was a small sample size, but following Pickett's perfect preseason, mixed with the idea that Pittsburgh's defense should be one of the NFL's best with T.J. Watt fully healthy, the Steelers could surprise a lot of teams in 2023 and maybe even make a deep run in the postseason.

Floor: 9-8

Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season in his 16 years as Pittsburgh's head coach, and that seems unlikely to change in 2023. However, if Pickett doesn't improve, the team could have a season similar to 2022 and miss the postseason for the seventh time under Tomlin.

Pickett is also, for now, the worst quarterback in a loaded AFC North, which features one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL (Cincinnati's Joe Burrow), a former league MVP (Baltimore's Lamar Jackson) and a quarterback who led the league in passing yards in 2020 (Cleveland's Deshaun Watson).

The defense has some questions of its own as well. Although the Steelers boast a lot of veterans on this side of the ball, the defense is certainly aging as DT Cameron Heyward is now 34 and 33-year-old CB Patrick Peterson joined the team this offseason. Pittsburgh is also hoping its rebuilt inside linebacker room can find success in 2023. If not, the team will have some tough decisions to make for the second highest-paid defense in the league.