Steelers' Biggest Question Marks Ahead of 2021 Training Camp

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted a new running back in Najee Harris to take some pressure off Ben Roethlisberger in their offense, but there are concerns about who will block for him.

The Steelers enter training camp with a revamped offensive front that experienced another change last week when Trai Turner was signed and David DeCastro was let go. 

Pittsburgh's offense carries a plethora of talent, but if the offensive line is unable to protect Roethlisberger and block for Harris, it will struggle to contend in the AFC North. 

Defensively, the Steelers need to find support for a front seven that had a tenacious 2020. They need to replace Stephen Nelson and Mike Hilton at corner.

Mike Tomlin and his staff have time to fix the potential issues for 2021, but at least right now, the concerns are warranted. 

The Steelers' revamped offensive line carries one of the biggest positional questions across the league going into training camp. 

Pittsburgh has a single returning starter from the 2020 offensive line, and Chukwuma Okorafor may not return to his position from last season. 

Okorafor will likely shift out to left tackle, which leaves the Steelers with no holdovers at the five offensive positions in front of an aging Ben Roethlisberger. 

If Pittsburgh made one or two changes and kept some consistency, there would be fewer worries about the positional play because of their familiarity with Roethlisberger. 

In August, the new interior players need to develop chemistry with Roethlisberger and gain trust from their rookie running back, all while having fewer preseason games to work as a unit. 

That could lead to a rough few first weeks of the 2021 season as the Steelers attempt to work everything out on the fly. 

No one will be asking questions about the Steelers' front seven after their 2020 performances. 

That shifts the defensive focus in training camp to the secondary, where a group of players will try to lock down starting positions. 

Joe Haden is an experienced member of the secondary, and his veteran leadership will be called upon to help with the transition away from Nelson and Hilton at corner.

Justin Layne and James Pierre are among the younger defensive backs aiming to earn more snaps alongside safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds. 

The good news for the Steelers is they have Fitzpatrick, Edmunds and Haden on the roster to work with the players fighting for increased roles. 

If the veteran tutelage sticks with Layne, Pierre and others, Pittsburgh could put together a solid defensive back unit that complements the pass-rushing abilities of T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and Devin Bush.

Diontae Johnson faced stiff competition from Chase Claypool in Pittsburgh's passing offense in 2020.

Johnson's production was affected by his propensity to drop the ball. He had 88 receptions for 923 yards, but he had a 61.1 catch percentage. 

That number was down 3 percentage points from his rookie season in which he hauled in 59 of the 92 targets in his direction.

Johnson is still expected to be a vital part of the Pittsburgh passing game, but he can be even better if he works on his drop issues. 

If his catch percentage ends up over 70, Johnson could be a vital piece in short-yardage throws and across the middle for Roethlisberger to work with.

If the offensive line becomes as much of an issue as projected, Roethlisberger needs to have quick release options to rely on, especially at the start of the campaign.

Johnson could be the perfect player to fit that role with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Claypool working on the outside. 

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.