Even before the 2022 regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offseason performance has come into question. This conclusion came after the franchise signed multiple players to their roster to fill the gaps. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has ranked the offseasons for all 32 teams in the NFL, and the Steelers rank a lowly 19th.

Barnwell’s ranking system is a personal opinion, focusing on whether the teams made right or wrong player acquisitions. Only the Las Vegas Raiders (28), Houston Texans (25), New England Patriots (22), and Tennessee Titans (20) rank below the Steelers in the AFC.

What are Barnwell’s primary concerns for the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Barnwell feels the primary concern for the Steelers is their salary cap. Despite not spending a lot on acquisitions, the Chiefs could have made better selection decisions regarding the players.

To better manage the strength of their team, he added the Steelers need to focus on contract extensions for star players.

The Steelers chose a QB in the first round in order to replace the retired Ben Roethlisberger. They got on board rookie Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky, getting both on very reasonable terms.

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However, he was also concerned about the lack of inside LBs in the Steelers line, which is despite the Steelers being the “league’s premier linebacker development factory over the past 30 years.”

Barnwell also felt that the thinned-out Steelers’ CBs led to Levi Wallace’s signing on an emergency.

What is the final verdict?

Overall, he says the Steelers didn’t have to spend too much money getting the players they wanted at low-cost contracts. However, the quality of some signings remains to be seen once the season begins.

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Not all agree on Barnwell’s arguments, and some have concluded that while the Steelers’ offseason may have been better, it is definitely not the 19th best in the league.

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