PITTSBURGH — While the Pittsburgh Steelers avoided their first losing season under head coach Mike Tomlin last season, they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019 - and haven't won a playoff game in seven seasons.
Those are unacceptable facts to those who bleed black and gold.
But first-year General Manager Omar Khan got to work during the offseason, adding several key players with a strong draft and solid choices in free agency. The Steelers will have a revamped defense and a rising offense under second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Whether that's enough to get them into the playoffs out of the strong AFC North division remains to be seen, but fans are hoping the new additions will help maintain the momentum of last year's late-season surge, which saw Pittsburgh shake off a 2-6 start to make a late playoff push.
Here's a look at some of the Steelers' biggest additions as they prepare for Sunday's season opener against San Francisco:
1. ILB Elandon Roberts: An eight-year NFL veteran with 76 career starts under his belt, Roberts won a pair of Super Bowl rings in New England before spending his last three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, where he made 107 tackles and 4.5 sacks last year alone. He signed as a free agent with the Steelers over the offseason.
Roberts, 29, brings experience and intensity to the Steelers' linebacking corps.
Over the course of his career, Roberts has amassed 449 tackles (257 solo), 37 tackles for loss, 23 quarterback hits, 11.0 sacks, 10 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception, one interception returned for a touchdown, and one receiving touchdown, according to NFL.com.
He'll serve as the Steelers' inside linebacker, alongside another free-agent acquisition, Cole Holcomb (see below).
2. ILB Cole Holcomb: The 6-1, 240-pound Holcomb joined the Steelers as a free agent after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Washington Commanders, where he made 388 tackles, 4.5 sacks and three interceptions in 50 games (48 as a starter).
Holcomb's 2022 season with the Commanders was cut short by injury. He missed four games due to a knee injury and then saw his season end prematurely after seven starts when he was forced to undergo foot surgery in December.
Holcomb, 27, was drafted out of North Carolina in the fifth round of the 2019 draft.
3. CB Patrick Peterson: The Steelers' most prominent free agent acquisition of the offseason, Peterson, comes to Pittsburgh after spending his last two seasons in Minnesota. The 13-year NFL veteran has played in 184 games over the course of his career, starting every one of them.
Peterson was selected fifth overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2011 draft and was an immediate impact player. Over the course of his career, Peterson has collected 34 interceptions to go along with his 111 pass break-ups and 607 tackles.
Peterson will start at cornerback, opposite Levi Wallace, for the Steelers this year.
4, DT Keeanu Benton: The Steelers selected Benton in the third round of this year's draft, with the 49th overall selection. A great run-stopper with flashes of potential as a pass rusher, Benton comes to Pittsburgh out of Wisconsin, where he was one of the anchors of the Badgers' defensive line.
A former standout wrestler in high school, Benton joins a defensive line rotation in Pittsburgh and is expected to push for significant playing time right away, even though he's currently listed at No. 2 on the depth chart at the nose.
Benton is six foot four inches tall and 309 pounds.
5. CB Joey Porter Jr.: The former Penn State standout, and son of a Steelers legend, Porter's selection in the second round of this year's draft felt pre-ordained.
While at Penn State, Porter emerged as one of the nation's top cover men. He had 20 pass breakups for the Nittany Lions last year, as few offensive coordinators dared to dial up pass plays in his direction.
Porter will soon be learning under Peterson and pushing for playing time in his first NFL season.
6. DE Nick Herbig: The former Wisconsin standout joins his brother Nate on the Steelers' roster after being selected in the fourth round of this year's draft. (Nate, a former undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles, is a backup offensive lineman for the Steelers.)
The younger Herbig flashed as a pass rusher for the Steelers in the preseason and will join the rotation at linebacker, where he's listed at No. 2 on the outside, behind Alex Highsmith, on the depth chart.
7. OG Isaac Seumalo: A free-agent pickup from the Philadelphia Eagles, where he started all 17 regular-season and three playoff games last season, Seumalo is an eight-year veteran who will help bolster the Steelers' offensive line at left guard.
Seumalo, 29, played in 80 NFL games and made 60 starts in his seven-year tenure with Philadelphia. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles in 2017.
8. WR Allen Robinson II: The former Penn State star joins the Steelers after previous stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams.
Robinson has recorded 528 career receptions for 6,748 yards (12.8 avg.) and 43 TDs during his 10-year pro career. He has at least one reception in all 110 career games, which is the sixth-longest active streak in the NFL.
Robinson set a single-season franchise record in Jacksonville in 2015, when he recorded 14 touchdown receptions.
9. OT Broderick Jones: The Steelers' first-round selection (14th overall) in this year's draft, Jones comes to Pittsburgh after helping the Georgia Bulldogs capture the NCAA title in his final college season.
The six foot five inches tall, 311 pound left tackle is currently No. 2 on the depth chart behind incumbent starter Dan Moore, but as he grows more comfortable in his role, expect him to make a strong push for the starting job before the season ends.
10. S Keanu Neal: An eight-year veteran, Neal joins a secondary looking to replace the departures of Terrell Edmunds and Cameron Sutton, both of whom signed free-agent deals elsewhere.
Neal spent his first five NFL seasons in Atlanta before making one-year stops in Dallas and Tampa Bay. Over the course of his career, he has appeared in 80 games (61 starts) and registered 463 tackles (320 solo), 21 tackles for loss, 20 passes defensed, 11 quarterback hits, eight forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, three interceptions and 2.5 sacks.