Steelers Now
Former cornerback Joe Haden expects the Pittsburgh Steelers offense to take a major step this season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers offense has struggled to find its identity since quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. However, former Steelers cornerback Joe Haden believes they have the chance to become an elite group once again under new head coach Mike McCarthy.
“I’m anticipating our offense, being a lot, lot better,” Haden said on his Deebo & Joe podcast. “Light years better. I just think, discipline-wise, us being able to establish the run game, and then with Aaron Rodgers being able to hit our receivers as far as [Michael] Pittman, DK Metcalf, and our big tight ends, [Pat] Freiermuth and Mount [Darnell] Washington, I think it’s going to be balanced.”
The Steelers have surrounded Rodgers with a ton of weapons this offseason and reunited him with McCarthy, who he won Super Bowl XLV with.
If the two can recreate the magic they had with the Packers, the Steelers could certainly catch a lot of teams by surprise this season.
“When I look at Aaron Rodgers and I look at Green Bay, offense was never their problem. They were always prolific on offense,” Haden continued. “If our offense, with the players that we have, is disciplined, and we’re able to take those shots, being able to stay ahead of the sticks with our run game, being able to take advantage of Mount Washington and Freiermuth in the slots, our offense is going to be unbelievable.”
The Steelers are surely hoping that is the case as they decided to operate differently in their head coach hire.
Instead of going with a defensive-minded head coach, they opted for the offensive-minded McCarthy, who now becomes the team’s first head coach with an offensive background since Bill Austin, who coached from 1966-68.
The question is, will it be enough to finally end the team’s 9-year postseason win drought?
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Joe Haden Reveals Big Expectations For Steelers Offense
