ESPN ranks the Steelers 2023 roster worst among AFC North teams

At the end of last week, ESPN football analysts Mike Clay and Seth Walder ranked NFL rosters from 1 to 32. According to the article, they then combined rankings to come up with their list of the league’s best — and worst.

Per the guidelines of this exercise:

We asked them to rate each roster based on the talent, age and production of the players, not taking into account how some coaching staffs can squeeze the best out of their talent. Clay’s rankings are powered by his 2023 projections, which include detailed stats and score predictions for every team.

Clay detailed the strongest and weakest units for all 32 squads, while Walder picked X factors to watch and nonstarters to know across the league. The projected starting lineups below are via Clay’s projections.

Needless to say, Super Bowl contenders ranked high, such as the Kansas City Chiefs (1) and Philadelphia Eagles (2) followed by the Buffalo Bills (3), Miami Dolphins (4) and Cincinnati Bengals (5).

The Dolphins are getting a lot of preseason love, perhaps too much love for a team that hasn’t achieved the heights of the other four in the top five positions, but its the rest of the rankings that should have Steelers Nation scratching their heads. The Cleveland Browns – yes, the same Browns that haven’t finished ahead of the Steelers since 1989 – are ranked ninth. Walder is in love with QB Deshaun Watson, fascinated to a certainty that the Browns could be Super Bowl contenders with their high-priced passer.

Someone should remind him that Watson, who was nearly two years removed from playing football, had a 7:5 TD:INT ratio in six games last season and led the Browns to a measly 3-3 record. For the Browns to contend for anything, Watson will need to improve on career-worsts of 6.5 yards-per-attempt and a 58.2% completion percentage.

Clay also cites the Browns offensive line as arguably the league’s best. Ironically, Browns quarterbacks (including Watson and Jacoby Brissett) took 44 sacks in 2022 while the Steelers lesser o-line only relinquished 38 with Mitchell Trubisky and rookie Kenny Pickett under center.

The Baltimore Ravens clocked in next at 11, which seems fair given the return of former league MVP Lamar Jackson. Clay notes that Baltimore’s strengths lie in their tight end room but their weakness could be cornerback depth. Walder mentions the Ravens wide receiver room as a potential X factor, with Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham Jr. entering the fray.

The Ravens, who finished 10-7 and have had Jackson missing in action to finish each of the last two seasons, are a wild card talent-wise. Their offense centers around a rushing attack that may or may not be the same with a new offensive coordinator in town.

Can a 30-year-old Beckham make an impact after recovering from another knee injury that kept him out of the league all of last season?

And what of the run game, which featured several good but not great backs, of which J.K. Dobbins led the group with 520 yards but Jackson, in only 12 games, led the team with 764?

That’s a coinflip with the Ravens, who will need to rely on their defense – led by Roquan Smith and Marlon Humphrey, to prevent the ESPN duo’s “higher ranked” Bengals and Browns offenses from having a field day. (Note: I don’t think the Browns offense is that good aside from RB Nick Chubb, but have no problem poking holes in this “talent” article by mentioning this!)

Of course, the authors didn’t think too highly of the Steelers, placing them in the middle of the pack at 14. That’s a respectable, but average number that places Pittsburgh behind teams such as the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos, not to mention worst of the AFC North competitors.

Clay admired the Steelers pass rushing unit, led by T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, but also added Markus Golden during the offseason. Yet, no mention of one of the league’s top defensive linemen, Cameron Heyward, was made. (You’d think he might be important when discussing rosters and talent?)

Too much was said off an off-ball linebacker, as the Steelers traditional 3-4 scheme has been anything but traditional over the last decade. In short, Pittsburgh has two inside linebackers on the field for 30% or less of the game these days. Cole Holcomb should do just fine, and has help with hybrid dimebacker types such as Tanner Muse and Keanu Neal coming to town.

Their X factor for the Steelers is George Pickens, who is a consensus breakout player across many media outlets this summer. Oddly, though, no other mention of the Steelers offense was made, including Najee Harris, who’s 1263 yards from scrimmage was second in the AFC North only to Chubb. (And ditto for total touchdowns, with Harris’ 10 second to Chubb’s 13.)

Considering the rankings are based on projections, I would’ve expected the Steelers offensive line changes to be given a bit more respect, but also feel that Pat Freiermuth paired with rookie Darnell Washington, as well as Diontae Johnson linking up with Pickens and newly added veteran WR Allen Robinson, to garner way more attention than OBJ or whoever the Browns have alongside Amari Cooper.

I feel the ranking is probably more skewed to seeing what QB Kenny Pickett can do in year two than what the rest of the Steelers roster offers. Clearly, Pittsburgh’s defense features not one, not two, but three elite players in the entire NFL (Watt, Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick) which should’ve gotten them a bit more of a rub over Cleveland and even Baltimore.

Alas, at least the Steelers weren’t drubbed too badly when looking at the over league picture. They placed higher than the Jacksonville Jaguars (15) and New York Giants (18) who were both playoff teams last season.

The Los Angeles Rams, only one season removed from a Super Bowl victory, placed 31st in this ranking. They are joined by another NFC West team, the Arizona Cardinals, who finished dead-last in this exercise.

At the very least, the AFC North can boast about being a competitive group on paper for the 2023 season, but it’s unlikely the Steelers are set to finish last among that particular group of four, seeing as it hasn’t happened since the NFL realigned to the current divisions in 2002.