With less than a week until the Pittsburgh Steelers head to training camp and officially start the 2015 season, there are no shortage of intriguing storylines to follow once players report this coming Saturday, July 25, at St. Vincent College.
Over the next five days, we will take a look a five key storylines for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015.
After a remarkable 2014 season, can the Steelers offense have a similar performance in 2015?
2014 was an unforgettable year for the Steelers offense. The trio of Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown all had career years as Roethlisberger tied for the lead in passing yards with 4,952, Bell had over 2,200 total yards and Brown led the league in both catches (129) and receiving yards (1,698).
This helped the Steelers win a division title despite of a defense that had some struggles last season. In 2015, the Steelers offense will once again have to be a dominant force if they expect to repeat as division champs and push toward a Super Bowl title.
The Steelers offense is more or less intact from last season with the potential to be even better this year. The looming three-game suspension of Bell is blow to the Steelers, but the signing of DeAngelo Williams could soften that blow and provide a capable backup to Bell throughout the season.
Coming off a career year, the 33-year-old Roethlisberger shows no signs of slowing down as he continues to show he has grown comfortable adjusting to offensive coordinator Todd Haley’s schemes. With a franchise quarterback looking like he is in the prime of his career, there is no reason to think the Steelers offense can’t have similar success this season.
It does not hurt that Roethlisberger has arguably the best receiver in the NFL to lean on in Brown. At 27, Brown might not even be at his peak yet, and after averaging 120 catches and 1,500 yards the past two seasons, it’s scary to think what might be on the horizon for the All-Pro.
Add Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant into the mix at wide receiver and you have a trio who could be as good as any in the league. Wheaton heads into his third campaign with expectations heightened in terms of his overall production. Despite of a 53-catch season in his first year as a starter, many believe Wheaton needs to make a bigger impact opposite Brown.
Bryant took the league by storm as a rookie by scoring eight touchdowns despite of limited playing time and only catching 26 passes. Look for the Steelers to lean on Bryant a great deal more this season, and maybe even challenge Wheaton for a starting spot opposite Brown.
The ultra-reliable Heath Miller comes off a 68-catch season and continues to be one of Roethlisberger’s most trusted pass targets. Though Miller will turn 33 in November, he’s proven to be a vital part of the Steelers offense both in the passing attack and as an outstanding blocker at the tight end position.
For all the talk about the contributions of the skill positions for the Steelers, the offensive line quietly had an outstanding season under the tutelage of offensive line coach Mike Munchak. With All-Pro Maurkice Pouncey anchoring the line, and guard David DeCastro developing into one of the top guards in the NFL, there is reason to believe this group can be better in 2015.
With a defense that looks like it will be in transition this season under new coordinator Keith Butler along with a daunting schedule, the Steelers offense will likely need to have a similar performance if the Steelers are going to once again make the playoffs in 2015.
