MOBILE, Ala. - One of the biggest mysteries to the 2024 season for the Steelers was the team's failure at times – and particularly down the stretch – to be able to stop the run.
At times, the Steelers were very good in that respect, finishing sixth in the NFL allowing 98.7 yards per game on the ground.
But in losses to the Ravens at the end of the regular season and then in the playoffs, the Steelers allowed 220 and then 299 yards, showing an inability to slow either running back Derrick Henry or quarterback Lamar Jackson.
"On the defensive side, it starts with stopping the run, and we didn't do that down the stretch," team president Art Rooney II said at his season-ending press conference earlier this week. "We need to figure out how we get stronger. Hopefully with a defensive front."
Part of the conundrum lies with All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward. When Heyward was on the field this season, the Steelers allowed 3.7 yards per carry. When he was not, they allowed 5.1 yards per rushing attempt.
And at 35, expecting Heyward to play 80 percent of more of the defensive snaps as he used to do as a younger player just isn't realistic.
Heyward still played 70 percent of the defensive snaps this season, but that number isn't likely to go up in future years.
So it makes sense that head coach Mike Tomlin took a particular interest in watching the defensive linemen work out here at the Senior Bowl practices this week.
The Steelers have added some young defensive linemen to the mix in recent years, including using second- and third-round picks on Keeanu Benton and DeMarvin Leal in 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Much like they did with the offensive line over the previous two drafts, when they selected five offensive linemen, several of them with premium picks, it might be time to do the same with the defensive front.
While Heyward showed in 2024 he can still play at an All-Pro level, the Steelers need reinforcements there. There can't be a nearly 1 ½-yard difference in what opposing teams gain on the ground determined by when Heyward is in the game and when he is not.
That's too much of a disparity to ignore.
• The Philadelphia Eagles finished the 2023 season by losing five of their final six games after a 10-1 start and were then dispatched in the first round of the playoffs, 32-9, by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a game that wasn't as close as the final score. They staggered down the stretch after a strong start.
The Eagles did not, however, make wholesale changes or blow up the team and start over. They continued adding to their roster, signing running back Saquon Barkley and linebacker Zack Baun in free agency and addressing an obvious need at cornerback by selecting Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft.
Their weaknesses in those areas became a strength.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts is a good player, but he's not considered one of the top players at the position in the league, certainly not in the class of Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, Buffalo's Josh Allen or Baltimore's Jackson.
But the Eagles have a talented roster.
Picking where they are in this year's NFL Draft and considering the players likely available in free agency, the Steelers aren't going to suddenly find themselves among the teams that have a true star at quarterback anytime soon.
They can, however, continue to build on what was a better roster in 2024 than the one they put on the field in 2023.
"I think we just have to keep building a strong roster," Rooney said. "We need to do what we need to do to take the next step. We still have strengths that we can build on to get there. And the quarterback position is a key, key piece of the puzzle that needs to be addressed. That's priority number one."
It's obviously the top priority this offseason, as all three of the quarterbacks employed by the Steelers in 2024 – Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen – are all slated to become unrestricted free agents this offseason.
But continuing to build the roster is critical. The last thing the team would want is to bring in a talented young quarterback – or even a talented older quarterback – onto a roster devoid of talent.
That was what happened with the Steelers in 2004. Rookie Ben Roethlisberger was good that season. But he joined a roster that included a very solid offensive line and a defense that had stars across the board.
A team that had gone 6-10 in 2003 jumped to 15-1 the next season.
• The idea that the Steelers need more coaches on their staff to compete and that's one reason they haven't won a playoff game in recent seasons is an interesting opinion.
The Tennessee Titans had 31 coaches, including head coach Brian Callahan this season. They're picking first overall.
The Cleveland Browns also have 31 coaches, including head coach Kevin Stefanski, listed on their coaching depth chart. They're picking second in the NFL Draft.
In any given season, one of the teams that consistently over the years that had fewer coaches on staff than the Steelers was Bill Belichick's staff in New England. For example, in 2017, the Patriots went to the Super Bowl with 20 coaches, including Belichick on staff.
NFL rosters are limited to 53 players, not including the practice squad. Does anyone really think having one coach for every two players on the roster makes that big of a difference between winning and losing a game?
The Steelers currently have 27 people on staff who either directly serve as position coaches or help in some form or fashion with the on-field product as coaches.
"Our coaching staff has grown and it's the size of staffs around the league," Rooney said. "I don't think we're outliers in that regard.
"On the analytic side, we have invested on that side and got more people in that department than we ever had, but we look at opportunities and technology changes. We'll have the opportunity to give ourselves better resources on that front. Certainly look at it."
Simply adding coaches just to increase the size of the staff doesn't necessarily make sense. And while there have been times in the past when the Steelers probably made a mistake by having one guy do too much – offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner also serving as the quarterbacks coach, for example – that's not the case now.
Perhaps Belichick said it best earlier this week on the "Let's Go!" podcast when talking about what makes a team successful.
• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast Pittonline@iheartmedia.com
"Players win games," Belichick said. "You can't win without good players. I don't care who the coach is, it's impossible … I didn't make any tackles. I didn't make any kicks."
It's always about the Jimmys and Joes more than it is the Xs and Os. Coaches can put players in position to make plays, but the players still have to make them.
• Sports Illustrated's MMQB polled a number of people who cover the NFL and ranked the top 50 games of all time recently.
Some games involving the Steelers obviously made the cut.
The Steelers' win over the Cowboys in Super Bowl X in 1976 came in at No. 33 on the list. Their rematch in Super Bowl XIII a few years later in 1979 was ranked 26th.
The Steelers' win over the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 ranked 14th, while the Immaculate Reception game in 1972 was No. 2.
Certainly, the games that involved the Steelers involved some of the game's greatest plays – including the most memorable play in NFL history, the Immaculate Reception – but it's surprising those Super Bowl wins and playoff wins didn't rank higher.
No. 1 on the list was the Ice Bowl between the Packers and Cowboys in 1967, a game most of the panelists are unlikely to remember, other than the fact the game has a specific name.
Check out the entire list here.
• With the Senior Bowl practices now completed, the Steelers' scouts and coaching staff will get together over the next month to begin putting together a plan of attack for the NFL Scouting Combine and pro days.
They'll come up with a list of players they want to interview and others they want to see work out in person.
It's a busy time as the NFL drives down the tracks toward the draft in late April.
The Steelers have gotten big contributions from their past few draft classes, but more is needed to continue building the roster.
With free agency starting March 12, the next couple of months will be critical.
On average, NFL rosters turn over around 40 percent of their players from year to year.
Improving on the core that will return is critical to success.
