Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 offseason needs

4. Find a third playmaker in the pass game

This may seem like overkill for how talented the offense is. Not only is Antonio Brown at the height of his powers, 2017 rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster exploded onto the scene with 58 receptions, 917 yards and seven touchdowns. Technically, fellow receiver Martavis Bryant is still under contract for the 2018 season but he had a turbulent 2017 and might not be the most reliable figure in the offense.

Beyond Brown and Smith-Schuster, the only other target who brings consistency to the table is Le’Veon Bell and there’s at least a small possibility he could be on a different team. Pittsburgh may not even need to look outside their own locker room to find the third wheel in the passing game.

Tight end Vance McDonald was traded to Pittsburgh on August 29th of last season and was an exciting addition that never really panned out during the regular season. For one, McDonald constantly was fighting some type of injury. He only appeared in 10 games and couldn’t find any traction. Another major reason for his struggles could have been the fact McDonald had under two weeks to move across the country as he was traded from San Francisco and learn an entirely new offense.

Pittsburgh saw the potential he carries in the playoff loss to the Jaguars, when McDonald racked up 10 receptions for 122 yards. At the age of only 27, the blazing tight end could be an integral part of the offense for 2018. Pittsburgh would be wise to keep him even at a cap hit of $3.7 million and see his full potential.