The Pittsburgh Steelers largely kept their core intact this offseason and are looking to defend their AFC North crown this season with some key additions.

ESPN analysts Mike Clay, Seth Walder, and Aaron Schatz ranked all 32 starting lineups across the National Football League. They considered factors like age, talent, and production. The trio of writers ranked Pittsburgh’s starting lineup 19th-best in the league.

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The Steelers were ranked one spot below the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and one spot above the Indianapolis Colts. Two of their AFC North foes were looked upon more fondly by the trio of sportswriters, as the Baltimore Ravens came in ranked as the fifth-best starting lineup, while the Cincinnati Bengals were a few spots ahead of the Steelers at 15th. The Cleveland Browns, who are loaded with a bevy of draft picks after trading Myles Garrett, came in ranked 31st.

Pittsburgh made major additions this offseason, such as Jamel Dean, Michael Pittman Jr., and Jaquan Brisker. The team also made ten draft selections, giving them a lot of young talent to develop. The ranking of the Steelers seems a bit harsh to me, but I suppose the aging defense and having a soon-to-be 43-year-old quarterback likely held the Steelers back from being higher on the list.

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