Steelers Analysis Steelers Commentary
Saunders: Eagles Give Steelers a Sneak Peak at Their Future
PHILADELPHIA — The Pittsburgh Steelers were absolutely out-classed by the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in a 27-13 loss that was not even as close as the final score made it seem.
The Eagles out-gained the Steelers, 401-163. They averaged 5.2 yards per play. The Steelers averaged 4.0. The time of possession was 39:52 to 20:08.
That is dominance, and for a Steelers fan, it probably wasn’t very pretty to watch, but I hope you got a good look at exactly what the Philadelphia Eagles are.
The bad news that these Pittsburgh Steelers are not yet on the level of a true Super Bowl-caliber team comes as quite a blow to those with such hopes for the 2024 season. But that tough pill to swallow also comes with a pretty significant benefit: a look into the Steelers’ own future.
There’s been no secret that since Omar Khan and Andy Weidl have taken over the Pittsburgh front office that the team has changed its priorities and how it goes about its business in acquiring players.
There’s also been little secret that the Steelers’ new process has been pretty heavily influenced by Weidl’s time as Eagles vice president.
Since Khan and Weidl have taken over, the Steelers have almost completely revamped their offensive line, bringing in ex-Eagles Super Bowl winner Isaac Seumalo at left guard and surrounding him with 2023 draft pick Broderick Jones at right tackle and 2024 draft picks Zach Frazier at center and Mason McCormick at right guard. The transformation will be complete when they add injured first-rounder Troy Fautanu back to the fold in 2025.
That unit is not yet dominant, but young offensive linemen rarely are. The fact that the Steelers line is as good as it has been with was is basically three rookies out there is impressive. Do they have a Jordan Mailata, Lane Thomas and Landon Dickerson? That remains to be seen. But it sure seems like the Steelers have the right ingredients to build a dominant offensive line in the future.
They have work to do. The secondary, already without DeShon Elliott and losing Donte Jackson to injury mid-game, was shredded by the Eagles to the tune of 9.1 yards per attempt.
The defensive line held up well against Saquon Barkley and company. But while Cam Heyward (35), Larry Ogunjobi (30), Dean Lowry (30) and Montravius Adams (29) represent the present of the line, they probably won’t have a big say in the future. There’s another offensive line-sized rebuild to undertake there and surround players like Keeanu Benton with more talent for the future.
The wide receiver position, without George Pickens on Sunday and without quality depth for most of the 2024 season, might be Khan’s top offseason priority.
The Steelers are a build in progress. The Eagles have been at this a while. Howie Roseman is the best general manager in football. He took over in 2010. The Eagles didn’t win a playoff game until 2017. The Steelers don’t seem nearly that far away.
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