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The Pittsburgh Steelers will look for redemption this season after a promising 2020 season went drastically wrong.
The Steelers started last season 11-0 but ended it 12-4, which was good enough for them to get the AFC North title, though. Due to COVID-19 outbreaks in both the Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore Ravens camps, the Steelers lost their 'bye' week and ended up playing a rescheduled Thanksgiving night game on a Wednesday afternoon.
Not to mention multiple injuries to their defense, which included Devin Bush and Bud Dupree tearing ACLs. As for the offense, the run game was the worst in the league and nearly non-existent at times, with dropped passes by one of the best wide receiving core.
After losing the regular season-finale to the Browns in Cleveland, the Steelers were then knocked out of the playoffs in the wild card round by their divisional foes.
The off-season saw the retirement of tight end Vance McDonald and Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey. With Pittsburgh's first pre-season game, a Hall of Fame Game, just days away, let's get into the preview and predictions for the Pittsburgh Steelers this year.
What can be expected from the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense?
With the running game ranked 32nd out of 32 teams in the NFL last season, that is where the Steelers put their focus. Deciding not to re-sign James Conner and using the first-round draft pick to draft Alabama running back Najee Harris was a huge upgrade to the running-back position.
As for the air game, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster re-signed on a one-year deal, returning the Steelers WR1. The Steelers also continued their quest to build the offense in the NFL draft by taking Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth in the second round. Paired with veteran Eric Ebron, the tight end core is now stacked in both blocking and receiving.
The offensive line is what brings the most concern for the Steelers' offense. For the first time in a decade, Ben Roethlisberger will have a center. The Steelers also signed free agent Trai Turner to add experience to the line after the release of David DeCastro.
What to expect from the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense?
TJ Watt was snubbed of the 'Defensive Player of the Year' award in what was one of the best seasons of his young career. He should bring that attack back to Steelers' defense again in 2021. Devin Bush's return and Alex Highsmith showing a lot of promise in his rookie season last year gives a lot of hope to the linebacker core.
The Steelers defense, which is also led by veteran Cam Heyward, signed Melvin Ingram just before the start of training camp, giving a lot more attack to the edge rush.
Pittsburgh Steelers preseason prediction
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have four pre-season games since they are playing in the Hall of Fame game.
The Steelers will be taking a long look at the quarterback depth chart this pre-season. Mason Rudolph, Josh Dobbs and Dwayne Haskins are all in line to be Roethlisberger's backup. So far in training camp, Rudolph has struggled in taking first-team reps, while Haskins has looked slightly better.
In the Steelers' first pre-season game against the Dallas Cowboys in Canton, Rudolph will start and play the first quarter, with Haskins in the second and Dobbs playing the second half. Ben Roethlisberger isn't expected to see much playing time in the pre-season to hopefully extend his longevity.
Head coach Mike Tomlin also announced that rookie running back Najee Harris will play in all four pre-season games to help get him accustomed to the NFL.
The Steelers will also play the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers in their pre-season schedule. The Steelers could go .500 in pre-season play, but the team's focus at the moment is on figuring out the roster, depth chart and abilities of various players.
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