Aaron Rodgers gives the Pittsburgh Steelers security at the quarterback position. But it takes more than that to truly become a contender in the NFL. With a lot of young players across the offense, the Steelers do have some potential gems around Aaron Rodgers. However, former NFL DL Leger Douzable doesn’t think there’s enough proven talent around Rodgers for the Steelers to win the AFC North this year.
“When you look at their playmakers, and this is no disrespect to them. Is there enough to actually make a run versus the Cincinnati Bengals, versus the Baltimore Ravens? Right now, I don’t believe there is enough playmakers in town, even with Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf, to make a significant run at an AFC North crown,” Douzable said on CBS Sports HQ on Tuesday.
Given the lack of proven talent across the offense, the Rodgers and DK Metcalf connection needs to be working well right off the bat. Fortunately, the two have already worked together this offseason. Furthermore, Rodgers already has plans next week to work with some of his other weapons as well. Getting that chemistry down is paramount to any chances of winning the AFC North this year.
However, even with extensive offseason work, it’s sometimes hard to hide the lack of depth. That was something the Steelers experienced last year, with both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields quarterbacking the team throughout the year. Behind Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, the Steelers were able to pick up yards. However, it wasn’t efficient or explosive enough. And aside from George Pickens, there wasn’t a capable WR2 on the roster.
There’s been a lot of turnover on the Steelers’ offense this offseason. Despite that, they may run into similar issues this time around. They essentially swapped Pickens for Metcalf, but still don’t have a bona fide WR2. Calvin Austin III had some nice moments in 2024, but it could be too much of an ask for him to step into that role. The Steelers seem to have a lot of faith in Roman Wilson as well. But he’s never caught an NFL pass, or even had a ball thrown his way. No matter how much the Steelers believe in either of those two, they haven’t proved enough just yet.
With that said, Pittsburgh did find a way to compete against the two AFC North foes Douzable mentions last year. They finished one game better than the Cincinnati Bengals, even with their four-game losing streak to end the regular season. Pittsburgh also still had a chance to win the division going into Week 18. If Rodgers gives them good quarterback play, it might be enough to keep the Steelers in the conversation.
Despite the supposed lack of depth, Aaron Rodgers has been able to elevate the players around him throughout his career when he’s playing well. During the home stretch of the 2024 season, Rodgers finally started to play up to that level again. If the Steelers are going to have any chance in the AFC North in 2025, they’ll need him to repeat that performance.
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