Steelers QB disasterclass steals attention from problem that has plagued them for years

If you have taken a look into the Pittsburgh Steelers over the last calendar year, odds are you have seen all the headlines about their quarterback room.

To keep a long story short, Pittsburgh admitted their mistake with drafting Kenny Pickett in the first round and have since moved on from him. They brought in Justin Fields and Russell Wilson with the understanding that Wilson would start and Fields would play under him. Neither quarterback has stolen the show this preseason, which has kept the spotlight on the two of them rather than other holes on offense.

The biggest question mark on offense isn't in the quarterback room, but instead a problem that has plagued them for years, and it still doesn't look like it's been solved.

Steelers offensive line, not quarterback, is the biggest concern heading into 2024

As much as we could sit here and nitpick Fields and Wilson, they have been far from the only problem with Pittsburgh's offense.

The Steelers offensive line has looked questionable, at best. This has become a recurring theme in Pittsburgh ever since offensive line coach Mike Munchak left town in 2019.

Injuries play a big part in the issue for Pittsburgh. Injuries have taken out first-round pick Troy Fautanu and Nate Herbig already. This has caused Mike Tomlin to rely heavily on second-year tackle, Broderick Jones, who is still playing right tackle this year, which isn't his natural position. Jones has struggled quite a bit with the move.

“I just have to be better,” Jones said, three days after he allowed two sacks and two pressures in the preseason game against the Bills. “For me, for us as an offense, I feel like we’re trying to get the extra emphasis on starting fast and being physical. I didn’t feel like I set the tone from the beginning of the game. I just have to continue to get better every day.”

Jones has a ton of talent, but switching sides of the line plays a much bigger impact than a lot of fans think. Jones and Fautanu were expected to be the offensive tackles of the future in Pittsburgh, but they've struggled to find their footing.

As of now, they're trotting out a sketchy tackle in Dan Moore Jr., a rookie center in Zach Frazier and Broderick Jones at right tackle, where he doesn't look very comfortable.

This unit picked up steam down the stretch last year, notably in the run game, but that momentum has vanished this preseason. The Steelers offense is going to need this unit to gel together if they want to have success this year.