The Steelers’ dead-zone debates always seem to circle back to the same thing: one turn here, one decision there, and franchise history starts looking a whole lot different.
That’s the fun of this time of year for Pittsburgh fans. There are no practices to break down, no games to react to, and no fresh news to chase. So the mind wanders to the picks that got away, the trades that changed everything, and the moments that still make you wonder what could have been.
One of the most painful misses is Creed Humphrey. Pittsburgh had multiple chances to take him in the 2021 NFL Draft and passed each time, going with Najee Harris in the first round, Pat Freiermuth in the second, and Kendrick Green in the third. Humphrey quickly turned into one of the league’s best centers, and while the Steelers eventually landed Zach Frazier, missing on Humphrey pushed back the offensive line rebuild at exactly the wrong time.
Then there’s Troy Polamalu, which is less about the draft choice and more about the era. Of course the Steelers should have taken him.
The real question is how he would fit into today’s game. He probably wouldn’t be used the same way he was under Dick LeBeau, but the idea of him as a box safety, slot defender, nickel linebacker, and chaos agent all at once is enough to make any offense uneasy.
The league changes. Players like Polamalu don’t really go away.
Darnell Washington brings a different kind of what-if. What if the Steelers had tried him at offensive tackle as a rookie?
With his size, length, and blocking ability, it’s not hard to see why the idea comes up. He might have become a huge swing tackle, maybe even a starter.
Or maybe Pittsburgh would have lost what makes him so unusual at tight end. Either way, it’s exactly the kind of conversation Washington invites.
The Minkah Fitzpatrick trade is one the Steelers can defend, because it worked. Fitzpatrick helped steady an 8-8 season after Ben Roethlisberger’s elbow injury.
But the cost still lingers, because Pittsburgh gave up its first-round pick in a loaded 2020 draft. That opens the door to Justin Herbert, CeeDee Lamb, Tristan Wirfs, and Jordan Love.
Fitzpatrick was worth it in the moment, but the alternate route is impossible to ignore.
Jalen Hurts is another quarterback what-if that hangs over the roster. In 2020, he was there in the second round, and the Steelers went with Chase Claypool instead.
Gulp. Maybe Pittsburgh’s setup wouldn’t have nurtured Hurts the way Philadelphia did, since the coaching staff and roster were different.
Still, Hurts went on to become a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, and even a less polished version of that path might have saved the Steelers from the quarterback mess that followed Roethlisberger.
Kenny Pickett’s case is tied to timing as much as talent. What if Kevin Colbert had stepped away a year earlier?
Would Omar Khan and Andy Weidl have pushed for a quarterback in the weak 2022 class? Maybe not.
Maybe the Steelers would have strengthened the line sooner or taken a different swing later. However you frame it, Pickett’s short stay in Pittsburgh feels like the product of timing, need, and old front-office pressure.
And then there’s the biggest one of all: Ben Roethlisberger. In the 2010 offseason, the Steelers seriously explored trading him after a run of off-field controversies and a suspension for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy.
If they had pulled the trigger, they would have been walking straight into quarterback purgatory. Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen, or some veteran stopgap might have been next.
Pittsburgh could have been living through the same quarterback problem a decade earlier, just without the extra years of Roethlisberger in the bank.
In Other News...
One Steelers Veteran Suddenly Doesn't Look Safe Anymore
Training camp is about to turn the Steelers wide receiver room into one of the more interesting battles on the roster, and Ben Skowronek is right in the middle of it. A veteran with value beyond the box score, Skowronek has long looked like the kind of player who helps a team in more than one phase, and his place in Pittsburgh has seemed relatively secure as the competition around him heats up.
But the numbers game is getting tighter, with Pittsburgh expected to keep only five or six receivers, and that leaves very little room for anyone to coast into September. Skowronek still has a case built on his versatility and his standing around the roster, yet the Steelers also have several younger options pushing for those limited spots, which makes the final evaluation more complicated than it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Already Have A Troubling Linebacker Situation Brewing
Malik Harrison arrived in Pittsburgh with a chance to settle into a meaningful role in the middle of the defense, but his path to doing so has already become a little murky. The Steelers signed him to a two-year deal in 2025, and with the offseason moving along, the team has also brought back Cole Holcomb, creating a crowded picture at linebacker for a unit that still needs dependable answers in the middle.
Harrisons standing now looks tied to more than just his own play, because the Steelers will be watching how he fits in camp and how the depth chart sorts itself out around Holcomb. The veteran has battled serious injuries, and his health and availability could shape the entire competition, leaving Pittsburgh with a decision that may not be fully settled until the summer starts to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Payton Wilson Faces The Steelers Question That Could Shape This Defense
Payton Wilson gave the Steelers plenty to think about in 2025, staying on the field for all 17 games and piling up 126 tackles, two sacks and an interception. Even so, his role never quite matched the production. He started only four games, a sign that Pittsburgh still viewed him more as a rotating piece than a locked-in answer at linebacker.
ESPNs read on Wilson is encouraging for the long term, pointing to the kind of athletic upside that can lead to a bigger third-year jump. For the Steelers, though, the real issue is more immediate: whether Wilson can become dependable enough to settle in alongside Patrick Queen and help stabilize a defense that needs that spot to stop being a weekly question. [Read more 🡒]