CBS Sports is not fond of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ trio of Russell Wilson, Najee Harris and George Pickens. They believe the Steelers’ offensive triplets are a bottom-tier unit, ranking them 26th in the NFL.
CBS Sports ranked the Steelers’ triplets of Kenny Pickett, Najee Harris and Diontae Johnson 22nd last season, so they actually dropped from last year. The days of the Steelers having the best offensive triplets in the NFL with Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown are long gone.
“Our panel is, once again, not inspired by Russell Wilson — or by the Steelers’ triplets,” Jared Dublin of CBS Sports wrote. “Harris is likely to remain the lead back due to inertia and financial investment, but he has been outplayed by Jaylen Warren in each of their Warren’s two seasons. Pickens has a ton of talent, but we also haven’t seen him totally tap into it just yet, so it’s hard to say he should carry this ranking.”
The Steelers’ run game should be efficient under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, but as Dublin mentions, Harris might not even be the best running back on his own team.
The main concern is the Steelers’ passing game. Can Wilson reunite his career in Pittsburgh, or will it be a repeat of his tenure in Denver? And who will step up as the Steelers’ No. 2 wide receiver? The latter is a massive concern heading into the 2024 season.
Kevin Patra of NFL.com tabbed the Steelers’ No. 2 wide receiver position as the second-biggest remaining roster hole in the NFL.
“Whenever I talk to Yinzer friends, the very first comment is about the Steelers’ receiver room. It’s George Pickens and a trove of Riddler-style question marks,” Patra wrote. “Third-round pick Roman Wilson profiles as the most likely candidate to step into a sizable role next to Pickens, but it’s a lot to ask a low-production, mid-round rookie to immediately play a substantial role in the NFL.”
The Steelers’ brass seems comfortable with their receiver depth, however. Arthur Smith thinks someone is going to rise up to occasion. If that doesn’t occur, Pittsburgh could face problems with teams placing double coverage on Pickens.
The Steelers could strike a trade for a wide receiver before the season, but the options are limited. And 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is most likely off the table, as it appears that he’s going to sign a deal with San Francisco at some point.