Steelers’ Offensive Arsenal Ranked 15th by ESPN

The Steelers are coming into the 2021 season with the fifteenth ranked offensive arsenal within the league, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell. That rating is down barely from 2020’s rating of nineteenth however is identical place from two seasons in the past. 

Barnwell’s reasoning for the slight dip revolves across the receiving corps and the query marks that include it heading in the direction of this new season. JuJu Smith-Schuster’s subpar 2020 season is likely one of the predominant causes of concern for Barnwell, with Dionte Johnson’s ball safety and fewer than stellar yardage numbers, given his reception totals, additionally factoring into the choice. Chase Claypool’s drop in manufacturing all through the second half of the 2020 season serves as a predominant pink flag for Barnwell, too.

Pittsburgh’s first-round draft decide, operating again Najee Harris, will probably be a step up within the backfield for Pittsburgh and is likely one of the predominant positives Barnwell mentions in his rating. After entertaining the thought of Claypool coming into his personal, JuJu Smith-Schuster returning to type and Harris replicating his success at Alabama, Barnwell acknowledged that his rating may probably be regarded again upon as “foolish” if the whole lot aligns for the Steelers’ offense. 

Elsewhere, Pittsburgh’s AFC North foes garnered extra favorable rankings. Baltimore and Cincinnati sit simply in entrance of the Steelers with rankings of 14th and thirteenth, and Cleveland is slotted simply contained in the top-5 with a rating of 4th. 

The record rounds out with the Tennessee Titans in third, the Dallas Cowboys within the second slot and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers resting comfortably in first.