Steelers Receive One Of Worst Offseason Grades From ESPN

The Pittsburgh Steelers had one of, if not the busiest offseason of all 32 NFL teams.

That doesn’t mean it was an impressive summer for the Black and Gold, though.

After saying goodbye to quarterbacks Justin Fields and Russell Wilson and bringing in 41-year-old four-time MVP signal-caller Aaron Rodgers, the Steelers will look completely different under center yet again. Pittsburgh also made a massive change at the top of its wide receiver depth chart, sending George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys and replacing him with two-time Pro Bowler D.K. Metcalf, who was picked up in a deal with the Seattle Seahawks.

Most recently, the Steelers underwent a huge facelift on defense. In late June, the team shipped five-time Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick back to the Miami Dolphins (where they originally received the Alabama product from in 2019), along with a 2027 fifth-round pick swap in exchange for seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey and 2024 Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith.

When all was said and done, some NFL experts believe that head coach Mike Tomlin’s group had one of the worst offseasons in the league.

ESPN’s Seth Walder released his offseason grades for all 32 teams on Thursday morning and gave Pittsburgh a C. The Cowboys and Carolina Panthers also received Cs, but there were only two squads that earned worse grades — the Atlanta Falcons (C-) and New Orleans Saints (D).

Walder wrote that the Fitzpatrick-Ramsey blockbuster was the move he disliked most from the Steelers offseason.

“I did not think it was a great move. The Dolphins were struggling to find someone to take Ramsey’s contract, yet Pittsburgh not only took on most of the money, but sent back a high-end safety with two years and no guaranteed money left on his contract,” Walder said. “Yes, the Steelers got an Arthur Smith favorite in Jonnu Smith, but I’d caution overrating that part. Smith is a good YAC player coming off a career-best season in which he recorded 884 receiving yards, but we shouldn’t ignore the previous seven seasons of his career (including some with Smith) that were not on that level.”

The analytics writer called Ramsey an “interesting fit” with Pittsburgh.

“He figures to play nickel and mix in some at safety, perhaps. There’s a chance it works. Ramsey is savvy, even if he is getting older, and it’s not unreasonable to think he could be key to making the secondary click,” Walder wrote.

The Steelers are scheduled to hold their first training camp practice on July 23.

More NFL: Steelers’ Jaylen Warren Could Have Career Year, Former All-Pro Says