Of the 11 players who opened the season as starters in 2020 -- just two seasons ago -- the only player still with the team is wide receiver Diontae Johnson.
That's not simple turnover. That's a complete makeover.
Needless to say, there is a lot of newness and overall youth on that side of the ball for the Steelers.
But where does the offense rank when compared to those of the other teams in the AFC North? The easiest path to the postseason, after all, is winning your division.
That's where things get interesting.
Let's take a look at the offenses in the division today:
QUARTERBACKS
1. Ravens
2. Bengals
3. Steelers
4. Browns
Analysis: Yes, Joe Burrow is the next big thing. And heck, he got the Bengals to the Super Bowl last season. But Lamar Jackson was the NFL MVP in 2019. And he was carrying the Ravens on his back until a foot injury cost him the final five games of the season. But backups also have to be considered, and while Ravens backup Tyler Huntley isn't great, he's better than the Bengals' Brandon Allen. The Steelers are third here because Deshaun Watson is going to be missing for at least a chunk of the 2022 season. Sorry, Jacoby Brissett and Josh Dobbs don't offer much in terms of solid quarterback play. Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph would have been fourth, but the Watson situation is going to blow up in Cleveland's face -- at least for this year.
RUNNING BACKS
1. Browns
2. Bengals
3. Steelers
4. Ravens
Analysis: With Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, the Browns have one of the top running back duos in the league. Add in D'Ernest Johnson, as well, and you get an idea of how Cleveland thinks it will have to play in 2022 to have a chance to win without Watson. With Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine and Chris Evans, the Bengals might not have the proven depth of the Browns, but it's a solid group. Najee Harris carries a lot of weight here -- no pun intended at all -- for the Steelers after posting over 1,600 total yards as a rookie. Benny Snell would be a good third back. He's capable of carrying the load here and there. But he's not explosive and doesn't catch the ball all that well. The Ravens are counting on both J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards to come back from torn ACLs. But Dobbins' recovery has been slow, enough so that the team made a pitch to try to sign Melvin Gordon before he returned to the Broncos. And despite their name value, neither Dobbins or Edwards has been a 1,000-yard rusher in their careers.
WIDE RECEIVERS
1. Bengals
2. Steelers
3. Browns
4. Ravens
Analysis: The Bengals' trio of Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd is as good as anyin the league, but there's little proven depth or even pedigree behind that group. The Steelers aren't on level with the Bengals, though Johnson is a proven commodity. Chase Claypool would be a welcome addition to either the Browns or Ravens, while George Pickens, Calvin Austin, Anthony Miller and more have promise. The Browns have the highest-paid receiver in the division in Amari Cooper, but if we were ranking receivers in the league, he would be fourth behind Chase, Higgins and Johnson. Cooper also doesn't like to play in cold weather, which should work out really well in Cleveland in December. Donovan Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz have speed, but also are largely unproven, while David Bell fell to the third round after posting a slow 40 time in the lead up to the draft. The Ravens are counting on Rashod Bateman to take a big step forward in his second season after trading away Hollywood Brown. And there's not much else on the roster at all. Baltimore's receivers are a bottom five group in the league.
TIGHT ENDS
1. Ravens
2. Steelers
3. Browns
4. Bengals
Analysis: Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle are a solid 1-2 punch. Andrews is an excellent receiver, while Boyle is accomplished as a blocker. Pat Freiermuth was very solid for the Steelers as a receiver and should improve as a blocker this season, while Zach Gentry came into his own as a blocker in 2021 as the No. 2. The Browns placed the franchise tag on David Njoku, but since catching 56 passes in 2018, he has 60 receptions in the three seasons since. There is talent there for the former first-round pick, but he's yet to consistently put it together. With Austin Hooper released, the Browns are counting on much more from Harrison Bryant as the No. 2 than he has shown thus far. The Bengals are clearly fourth in the division at the position with Hayden Hurst and Drew Sample, neither of whom has lived up to their lofty draft status to this point in their career. Hurst is a former first-round pick of the Ravens who is on his third team, while Sample was a second-round pick of the Bengals.
OFFENSIVE LINE
1. Browns
2. Bengals
3. Ravens
4. Steelers
Analysis: This is really misleading. The Browns have one of the top offensive lines in the NFL, though they'll be breaking in a new center in Nick Harris after releasing J.C. Tretter. They won't be as strong as they have been. And third-year left tackle Jedrick Wills hasn't become the star that they had hoped. But the dropoff to the next three teams is significant. The Bengals spent big bucks to upgrade their offensive line this year, and they're better. But they're still not anywhere close to being a top unit and still have a big hole at left guard, where 2021 second-round pick Jackson Carman struggled mightily as a rookie. The Ravens could be good. Or, if left tackle Ronnie Stanley continues to miss time -- he hasn't played in two years -- things could be rough. Everyone loved the pick of center Tyler Linderbaum in the first round this year, but he's undersized and doesn't necessarily fit the scheme, though Morgan Moses is an upgrade at right tackle. The Steelers brought in a pair of veterans in guard James Daniels and center Mason Cole. They should be better on the line in 2022, but how much better remains to be seen. If second-year left tackle Dan Moore takes a step forward, the group could be at least average.
OVERALL
1. Bengals
2. Ravens
3. Steelers
4. Browns
Analysis: The Bengals and Ravens couldn't be more different offensively, but they're both a bear to play against. In fact, the Bengals might be the easier of the two teams to scheme for. Most NFL teams are built to handle three-receiver sets. They aren't necessarily built to handle a running quarterback such as Jackson, though the Steelers have won the past four against Baltimore. Cleveland's running game is solid, but it won't be nearly as effective with well-below average quarterback play. There's a reason Brissett has a 14-23 career record as a starter. In two seasons in which he's been counted on to be the primary starter, he's 11-19. The Steelers are young on offense, but the pieces fit what offensive coordinator Matt Canada wants to do -- play-action, moving pockets, etc.
