Former NFL head coach calls Steelers a Super Bowl contender

The Pittsburgh Steelers have become one of the most polarizing teams in the league.

Despite finishing the 2023 season with a 10-7 record and a playoff berth, Pittsburgh offense was woeful and, frankly, hard to watch.

Many of Pittsburgh’s woes in 2023 had to do with their offense, which scored the fifth-fewest points per game (17.9) and had the eighth-fewest passing yards per game (186.1). Heading into the offseason, head coach Mike Tomlin vowed that the offense would be more "versatile and dynamic" and "keep defenses off balance."

This offseason, general manager Omar Khan bolstered the quarterback room by signing quarterback Russell Wilson and trading for quarterback Justin Fields. The Steelers also added offensive line protection through the 2024 NFL Draft. 

Dungy optimistic about Steelers chances in 2024

On NBC’s “Football Night in America,” former NFL head coach Tony Dungy named the Steelers as Super Bowl contenders.

“They’ve been in the race, in the hunt,” Dungy said. “They haven’t had good quarterback play since Ben Roethlisberger. Now they’ve got a quarterback. You heard it here first. I like Mike Tomlin and what he brings. They have that belief, they always have that… if Russell [Wilson] can win one or two more games for them, I think they’ll be in good shape.”

Despite the Steelers new additions, Dungy’s perspective is awfully optimistic. Expecting Wilson to produce an 11- or 12-win season is asking a lot at this stage of his career. The nine-time Pro Bowler has not won more than seven games since the 2020 season, dating back to his final year with the Seattle Seahawks. As of now, he is a remnant of the dynamic quarterback who led Seattle to its first Super Bowl championship in 2023. 

Fields, meanwhile, has never shown the ability to process the defense and make consistent throws at the professional level. He is a developmental prospect at this point, and that’s likely why Tomlin has already named him as the backup. 

NBC co-host Rodney Harrison, a former Super Bowl-winning safety, disagreed with Dungy’s assessment of the Steelers.

“Make sure you guys record this, because this is absolutely ridiculous,” Harrison said. 

Tomlin has done a great job of helping the Steelers finish above .500 every season, and he’ll likely do it again. But in 2024, the Steelers are more likely to fall below .500 than they are to compete for a Super Bowl — especially in a competitive AFC North.