First and 10: Steelers Offseason of Changes Turns Normal

By Alan Saunders

·Updated: June 13, 2022

The Pittsburgh Steelers offseason technically started in January, right after the team lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round of the 2021 NFL Playoffs.

But the team has been going non-stop since that loss. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers went on a whirlwind pre-draft search at the position, obsessing over the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, pro days and more, and also were more active in free agency than they have been in recent memory.

There was changeover on the coaching staff, with Keith Butler retiring, Teryl Austin promoted, and former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores joining the staff.

Meanwhile, general manager Kevin Colbert was in the process of retiring and the Steelers were in the process of replacing.

There was, to say the least, a lot going on in the last six months.

With the close of minicamp, though, the Steelers will begin their actually offseason today. There’s not much on the calendar between now and when they’ll report to training camp in late July.

When that comes, it will come with an air of normalcy and not the frenetic offseason to this date. Omar Khan replaced Colbert, and though there have and will continue to be changes made to the front office and how it does business, it should be a smooth transition. The same can be said with the defensive staff adding Flores and promoting Austin.

On the field, it appears that Mitch Trubisky will be given every opportunity to succeed or fail as the team’s starting quarterback.

And the club will be returning to St. Vincent College near Latrobe for the first time since 2019.

That’s not to say that things won’t happen that will change the landscape of the team’s season between now and September 1. They always do. But going forward, the rest of the 2022 offseason should feel a lot more normal than the first part of it.