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The story of the offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers is the new-look offense under new head coach Mike McCarthy. After being an afterthought under Mike Tomlin, McCarthy promises an offense to help out the defense and not the other way around. We are now less than a week to the start of training camp and we are handing out grades for each of the Steelers offensive positional rankings.
Quarterback - C+
This group centers on Aaron Rodgers making one final run in his old offense. There's no excuse for Rodgers not to outperform his own production from last season and if he cannot, this season is over before it starts. We would give this unit a higher grade if Rodgers was five years younger and the depth wasn't completely untested. Drew Allar and Will Howard are likely to round out the depth chart with zero NFL snaps and the one guy with experience, Mason Rudolph, might be the odd-man out.
Running back - B
Every team wants a Bijan Robinson on their team but a truly elite feature back is rare. But the Steelers do have a tandem of backs in Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, who combined for 2,034 rushing yards last season while sharing carries with another back on their respective teams. Depth isn't really anthing to be excited about with Kaleb Johnson, Riley Nowakowki and Eli Heidenreich but having two players capable of 1,000 rushing yards and versatile as receivers and blockers makes this unit a strength.
Wide receiver - C+
Sorry but we aren't ready to anoint DK Metcalf as a No. 1 receiver despite his massive salary and with Michael Pittman Jr., we want to see if he can get back to form from before his 2024 back injury. This group, including rookie Germie Bernard is better than last season. There's no denying that. But is this group good? That remains to be seen.
Tight end - B-
Pittsburgh might have one of the best one-two punches at tight end in the AFC. Pat Freiermuth is an adequate blocker and reliable chain-mover in the passing game who has been grossly underused. Meanwhile, Darnell Washington is a tight end in an offensive lineman's body who can lay punishing blocks while still providing some value as a receiver. The problem is, we have no confidence that either guy will be featured on offense enough to get the credit they deserve.
Offensive line - A-
The Steelers offensive line is far and away the strength of this side of the football. Center Zach Frazier, guard Mason McCormick and tackle Troy Fautanu are three of the best young linemen in the NFL with Fraizer being an elite center already. Guard Spencer Anderson and tackle Dylan Cook are average players but rookies Gennings Dunker and Max Iheanachor are waiting in the wings to take those spots and make this group even better.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Grading the Steelers offensive positional units heading into training camp
