Former Steelers Offensive Lineman Trai Essex Is Exasperated By How This Team 'Feels Different'

The Pittsburgh Steelers might be sitting at 7-6, but they are in shambles. The argument that there are lots of teams that would love to be in our position has worn thin. Regardless of the reason, whether it is that Steelers players and fans are spoiled, or that the team has such a long history of success that failure is unacceptable, everyone is sick of excuses and is looking for answers. The reality is this just isn't a version of the Steelers that any of us recognize. Now even former players are joining the cacophony and pointing out the problems they see. 

One of the factors that has increased the volume of complaints is the two back-to-back losses to 2-10 teams. These were teams, the Arizona Cardinals and the New England Patriots, that the Steelers should have easily defeated. Even if you make excuses for the Cardinals game about them having quarterback Kyler Murray back, there was no excuse for the Patriots. 

Frankly, the worst part about the Patriots game is that they totally dismantled the Steelers and managed to do so after benching their franchise quarterback. The Steelers' star-studded, highly-paid, defense wasn't able to shut down Bailey Zappe, a fourth-round selection with limited experience. 

Recently, former Steelers offensive guard Trai Essex appeared on the Steel Here podcast and spoke with its host Kevin Adams. Adams asked Essex, who spent seven seasons in Pittsburgh, what he sees as the problem with the team, particularly the offense. Adams mentioned that from his perspective, it just feels sloppy, we see the same errors over and over again such as illegal formations. He also brought up the apparent lack of leadership that comes through when we see things like wide receiver George Pickens routinely throwing temper tantrums on the sideline. Essex agreed this isn't the Steelers we are used to.    

"I was talking to a couple of my buddies, a couple of former teammates, and this feels different. Even in the years prior to this when Ben [Roethlisberger] was out and we had to put Duck Hodges and Mason [Rudolph] on the field, they were scrappy and found a way to get to 8-8 or 9-8, it felt different. You knew we had a dearth of talent on the team and we had lost so much so fast, we lost our quarterback, we lost a lot of our linemen - you could tell [Maurkice] Pouncey was on his last leg, [David] DeCastro was injured and not himself anymore, you could tell [Alejandro] Villanueva wasn't the same player," said Essex.

During the time that Essex is referring to, the 2019 season, franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was hurt during the second game of the season. He suffered a season-ending elbow injury and it felt like the world was coming to an end. Backup Mason Rudolph came in for Roethlisberger and while they got off to a slow start, they ultimately ended up winning seven out of eight games to give them a record of 8-5 in Week 14 after benching Rudolph for Duck Hodges. Unfortunately, they couldn't seal the deal and missed the playoffs that year for the second year in a row. 

One of the things that was different about that team was that it had veteran leadership that rallied around the backup quarterbacks. While that was their first season without star wide receiver Antonio Brown, they had lots of other weapons including James Conner, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, and Benny Snell. 

While Essex was no longer with the team by then, his last season in Pittsburgh was 2011, and the veteran offensive line he referred to kept things in check. They mentored younger players and delivered the message that there would be no divas on the team, it's all about winning as a unit, not individual accomplishments. That group included Ramon Foster, David DeCastro, Maurkice Pouncey, and Alejandro Villanueva. It wasn't just offensive leadership either. On defense, they had some standouts including Cameron Heyward, Tyson Alualu, Bud Dupree, T.J. Watt, Vince Williams, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Joe Haden to name a few. 

The team was stacked not only with talent, but with guys who understood the "Steelers Way." While some of those names are very familiar because they are still on the team, it just doesn't feel the same. It feels watered down. There is only so much that Heyward, Watt, and Fitzpatrick can do. With all of the recent comments coming out of the locker room about players feeling "entitled" to wins, it seems they have lost their identity and you have to wonder if these younger players see the big picture. 

Steelers Offensive Line Is The Biggest Issue

One thing that really stands out between these two seasons where the team struggled (2019 and 2023), is the lack of veteran leadership on the offense. There are two players on both teams and neither has shown to have the necessary leadership skills - Johnson and Chukwuma Okorafor.

Essex believes that is the team's biggest issue. He went on to say the many misses on the offensive line are hurting up more than people realize. The team has lacked continuity in coaching on the offense as well. The players need consistency to be able to develop properly.   

"When we get down to it, the OL is a bigger issue than quarterback and the fact that we couldn't replace those pieces in a timely fashion. We drafted Kendrick Green, missed on him, couldn't develop Kevin Dotson, missed on him, now they're going elsewhere and having success," said Essex.

While newish General Manager Omar Khan worked to help bolster the line by bringing in players like Isaac Seumalo, they have failed to secure solid players at key positions such as center. The center position has been a disaster since Pouncey retired in 2021. They tried to force-fit Kendrick Green into the slot as a rookie when he was clearly not ready, and then followed him up with the inept Mason Cole. Cole cannot seem to snap a ball properly and that is literally his whole job description.  

Now the Steelers head out to face the Indianapolis Colts for a Saturday afternoon game and both teams need to win to make the playoffs. Shockingly, the Steelers are in a position where they could potentially take a Wild Card spot. It will be interesting to see if they can channel any of the old Pittsburgh energy and get a win, or if we see this new calamitous version of the team.