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When news broke that the Pittsburgh Steelers had officially signed Aaron Rodgers, it instantly raised the team’s ceiling heading into the future.
Suddenly, former quarterbacks were placing the team’s ceiling at Super Bowl levels, while others wondered whether or not Rodgers had the motivation to play to his ceiling, as his play with the New York Jets left something to be desired.
Discussing what she believes the Steelers need to do in order to optimize their efforts around Rodgers on Inside the NFL, Mina Kimes broke the situation down, noting that adding a former MVP under center won’t be an instant fix if the team still struggles to move the ball on the ground.
“None of this will work, even if Rogers does buy-in, which I’m skeptical of. None of it will work, regardless of what the offense looks like, if they can’t run the football better than they did last year. And that’s something that they’ve invested in,” Kimes said.
“They spent a third-round draft pick on a running back this year, Kaleb Johnson, who I do think is a very good fit for the Arthur Smith sort of wide zone run game. But the offensive line is very strong in the interior tackles, tackle’s a question; Broadrick Jones at left tackles is the player that I think could be the pivot point of this season, both in terms of run blocking and pass protection. Rogers needs to be part of a more balanced offense.”
In 2024, the Steelers’ rushing offense was underwhelming, with the team picking up the 11th most rushing yards and 19th most rushing touchdowns despite attempting the fourth most rushing plays of any team in the NFL. Their offense ranked 25th in rushing yards per attempt at 4.1, and their lead back, Najee Harris, was a very inefficient 1,000-yard rusher, sitting at 4.0 yards per attempt on 263 total tries.
Will Jones, who is more of a bruiser than a true home run hitter, unlock the ground game for Rodgers? While only time will tell, it’s safe to assume that if opposing teams can make the Steelers one-dimensional, it will make life harder for the Steelers’ new quarterback, so Kimes’ assertion is likely on the money.
"None of it will work, regardless of what the offense looks like, if they can't run the football better than they did last year."
Even with Aaron Rodgers, @minakimes thinks the Steelers need to improve their run game first pic.twitter.com/iSgrYtEzSs
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 6, 2025
The post Steelers rumors: What Pittsburgh needs to improve most after Aaron Rodgers signing appeared first on ClutchPoints.
