Predicting the Pittsburgh Steelers starting lineup for Week 1 of the 2024 season
By Jack Posey
Coming off a ten-win and seven-loss season where starting quarterback Kenny Pickett threw more interceptions than touchdowns to lead a struggling offense, the third-place-finishing Steelers will look to bounce back in 2024.
The Steelers have since banished Kenny Pickett to Philadelphia, traded Diontae Johnson to Carolina, and parted ways with many others. But with these departures, many more have joined the team, including Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Patrick Queen, and a stellar draft class.
Here is what I think the opening day lineup will look like.
Steelers depth chart: Predicting the starting offense for 2024
The Steelers ran most of their offensive plays in an 11-personnel last year. That number came down from 2021, though, and you can expect it to come down even further in 2024 under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. That said, Steelers fans can expect a lot of two tight-end sets. The offense I will look at will be five offensive linemen, two tight ends, two receivers, a running back, and a quarterback.
QB: Russell Wilson
RB: Najee Harris
LT: Troy Fautanu
LG: Isaac Seumalo
C: Zach Frazier
RG: James Daniels
RT: Broderick Jones
TE: Pat Friermuth
TE: Darnell Washington
WR: George Pickens
WR: Roman Wilson
A couple of quick notes: Russell Wilson is the smart move to start Week 1 as a veteran, but Justin Fields will step in later in the year because he has too much talent to sit on the bench. Najee Harris will be the “starter,” but you can expect as heavy a dose of Jaylen Warren. Roman Wilson will start next to George Pickens because he has the highest upside among the other receivers on the roster unless Pittsburgh feels the need to sign a veteran before the start of the season.
Steelers depth chart: Predicting the starting defense for 2024
The Steelers' defense isn’t going to change much, seeing as they didn’t select a single defender in the draft. They did, however, sign guys who will compete for significant playing time. I will look at the base 3-4 defense they usually run for their lineup.
DE: Larry Ogunjobi
DE: Cam Heyward
NT: Keanu Benton
OLB: T.J. Watt
OLB: Alex Highsmith
ILB: Patrick Queen
ILB: Elandon Roberts
CB: Joey Porter Jr.
CB: Donte Jackson
FS: Minkah Fitzpatrick
SS: DeShon Elliott
This Steelers lineup will have to get through the third-toughest strength of schedule (.533) in the NFL.