Steelers HC Mike Tomlin needs to get these two things right

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin informed the team on Tuesday that he is planning on returning for the 2024 season and that reports of him stepping aside were unfounded, according to a report from NFL Network. 

Assuming Tomlin is in fact back on the Pittsburgh sidelines for an 18th season there are two important spots he and the organization need to get right this offseason.

Their next offensive coordinator is one of them. Their quarterback is the other. 

Those are the two most important spots that could help the Steelers climb out of the NFL's middle ground they have found themselves stuck in.

For the past five years the Steelers offense has consistently been among the lowest-scoring and least innovative offenses in the NFL, finishing 27th, 12th, 21st, 26th and 28th respectively in scoring. 

Previous offensive coordinators Randy Fichtner and Matt Canada could not evolve the offense into something that worked with the modern game, while the quarterback play has been consistently underwhelming even going back to the tail end of Ben Roethlisberger's career. 

The Steelers offense was so bad during the 2023 season that they actually did something unprecedented in the history of the franchise and fired an assistant coach — Canada — during the season. He was replaced by a duo of Mike Sullivan and Eddie Faulkner with only marginal improvements. 

If the Steelers intend to be more dynamic and efficient on offense, and ultimately snap their seven-year playoff win drought, they need to get a new vision and new ideas for that side of the ball. 

A new quarterback to help bring all of it together is also a must.

Following the retirement of Roethlisberger the Steelers attempted to solidify the position by signing veteran Mitch Trubisky and drafting Kenny Pickett in the first-round of the 2022 NFL Draft, while also bringing back Mason Rudolph. None of them did anything to demonstrate they are the long-term answer for the team. 

Pickett showed a stunning lack of development in year two, while the Steelers were completely incapable of winning any game in which Trubisky made an appearance. It was not until Rudolph started the final three games of the regular season that the Steelers offense finally reached the 30-point mark in a game this season.

But for as well as he played in helping to get the Steelers into the playoffs, he is not any sort of a long-term solution. He is also a free agent this offseason. 

Whether they dip into the free agent market, explore a trade, or figure out a way to move up in the draft from their No. 20 overall spot the Steelers have to aggressively work to get a serious long-term solution at the position. 

Especially in the AFC where they are competing against the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and now C.J. Stroud. The likes of Pickett and Rudolph are not going to be enough to compete against those players. 

The fact this team won 10 games and made the playoffs playing one of the league's toughest schedules, and in the toughest division with sub-par quarterback and offensive play is a testament to how good the defense was and how effective Tomlin can still be. 

But if they are going to become a serious Super Bowl contender again the offense needs to improve. That starts entirely with the next offensive coordinator and quarterback.