3 Steelers scapegoats who will inevitably take the fall for Mike Tomlin

Right or wrong, Pittsburgh Steelers ownership sees head coach Mike Tomlin as the literal embodiment of the franchise stability they devote themselves to. That's a fancy way of saying that Tomlin will be back on the sidelines for Pittsburgh when the 2025 season arrives.

That does not mean that changes won't be coming to the Steel City. The team's recent form has the team's passionate fan base pushing the panic button. It's not an unreasonable response. The Steelers have lost three games in a row and each defeat has been by double-digits. This is the first time Pittsburgh has suffered this kind of streak since 1988.

The Steelers are going to shake things up in the offseason to try to build a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Here are three key scapegoats Tomlin will leverage to keep his job.

Steelers scapegoat No. 1: Arthur Smith

The first guy who will be sacrificed this offseason in Pittsburgh will be offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. He received a fair amount of praise earlier this season for his handling of an uncertain quarterback situation, but Russell Wilson's struggles in recent weeks are going to be pinned on the offensive staff.

Wilson is now only 2-4 in his six games as a starter. What's worse is that he hasn't notched a single victory over a team that's currently in position to make the playoffs. That's a sharp contrast to what the Steelers did with Justin Fields at the helm. He went 4-2 in his last six games as a starter by beating three playoff teams.

That comparison is an oversimplification of how things have gone for the Steelers offense but the NFL is a results-based business. Tomlin believed that making the switch to Wilson at quarterback would make his offense a unit capable of making a Super Bowl run. The fact that the quarterback position is still up for debate is a major indictment of the system Smith's been able to conduct.

Wilson may ultimately be another offseason scapegoat for the Steelers but look for blame to shift to Smith in the coming weeks. It's easier to fire a coordinator than offload a big-name quarterback. That's why Smith is going to get the axe in the offseason.

Steelers scapegoat No. 2: George Pickens

George Pickens is still going to be on the Steelers' roster in 2025 but he will suffer from a lot of external criticism if the team's fortunes don't turn around in the playoffs. An early postseason exit is going to inspire a lot of negative talk about the team's culture and Pickens will get the brunt of that sentiment.

In fairness, Pickens' various antics throughout the course of the season haven't helped things inside the team's locker room. The highlight was probably getting into a post-game altercation with Browns' cornerback Greg Newsome back in Week 12. It did not result in a suspension but he did receive a substantial fine.

Another area of criticism that will land on Pickens is his inability to get into the end zone. He's unquestionably the team's top receiver but only has three touchdowns on the year. He has all of the physical gifts required to get behind opposing secondaries. His inability to do that with any kind of consistency this season has permitted opponents to pack the box against the Pittsburgh run game.

The end result of Pickens becoming a scapegoat will be a lot of offseason stories about how he and Tomlin have gotten on the same page and he's coming into training camp with the best focus of his career. That window dressing will get Pickens back into the team's good graces but the real test will come when the Steelers face real adversity on the field in 2025.

Steelers scapegoat No. 3: Joey Porter Jr.

Many Steelers fans were overjoyed when the team spent a second-round pick to bring in the legacy player back in the 2023 draft. This year he ascended to become one of the team's starting outsider cornerbacks but his struggles have really hurt Pittsburgh's defensive effectiveness.

Porter's overall PFF coverage grade of 53.0 on the season ranks him 158 out of 217 qualifying corners. That play would have gotten him benched if the Steelers had any reasonable option behind him on their depth chart.

The knee injury that kept the aggressive cornerback out of his team's last game will only add to the scrutiny he'll face down the stretch. Now Porter Jr. has to worry about his health and production. If he plays poorly then the fans might turn on him no matter what the route of his struggles happens to be.

Like Pickens, Porter Jr. is going to return to the Steelers in 2025 but there's no guarantee he'll still be considered the team's No. 1 cornerback when next season begins. If he falters down the stretch it's very possible the organization will lose faith in him and blame him for their playoff flameout.