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3 successful rebuilds Steelers should learn from

By Sravan Gannavarapu

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 11: Kenny Pickett #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium on December 11, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 11: Kenny Pickett #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium on December 11, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /
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Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

The Pittsburgh Steelers are likely headed to the offseason upon completion of the regular season, but to rebuild the team, there are several successful blueprints to follow. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers are more than likely to find themselves looking on the outside of the playoffs this year. Additionally, another loss would confirm the first losing season in the Mike Tomlin era.

The Steelers have several holes on their roster, and with the offseason approaching, it would be best to start looking at the free agent market and the upcoming draft to help plug the holes on any deficiencies.

Several franchises went through a rough rebuilding stage before ultimately finishing the job with a Lombardi trophy. Pittsburgh can emulate them in ways that can help turn around the franchise in an already competitive AFC North. Let’s see a few of them right now, starting in the Northwest.

Rebuilds for Steelers to learn from: Seattle Seahawks: 2010-2013

The Legion of Boom wasn’t built overnight. It took years for the Seahawks to truly establish themselves as contenders. When Pete Carroll and John Schneider took over the franchise, over 200 roster moves were made via the draft, free agency, and trade market to build the Seahawks into a contender.

It started when Carroll arrived, and his first draft produced two immediate starters from the first round in Russell Okung and Earl Thomas. Also in that draft arrived Kam Chancellor, Walter Thurmond, and Golden Tate. 2011 brought James Carpenter, K.J. Wright, Richard Sherman, Malcolm Smith, and Byron Maxwell. 2012 was the jackpot with Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, and Bruce Irvin.

By 2013, despite not having a glamorous draft that year, all the pieces for a championship were in place, and that includes the trade for Marshawn Lynch. Super Bowl XLVIII was the crowning achievement with a 43-8 thrashing of Denver. There could have been another, but the butler took it away. Nonetheless, the rebuilding of Seattle into a contender is a good blueprint to follow.

What to learn from Seahawks Rebuild: Acquire draft capital and be willing to trade down as opposed to staying put.

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