The 2022 season marked a new era for the Pittsburgh Steelers. For the first time since 2004, the team was without longtime quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who retired in the offseason. The Steelers were also without general manager Kevin Colbert as he stepped down following 22 years with the organization.

Pittsburgh would end up going 9-8 and being just one game away from the playoffs. Despite that, rookies Kenny Pickett and George Pickens had their moments and look like the future of the franchise. Also, free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick earned his third First-Team All-Pro while linebacker T.J. Watt bounced back from his preseason injury.

Still, while the future looks promising with this core, the front office needs to address some areas so Pittsburgh can compete for bigger things. Pittsburgh should be very active as the team enters the offseason, especially in free agency and the draft.

With that being said, here are three major fixes the Pittsburgh Steelers must make this offseason to return to the NFL playoffs in 2023.

3. The cornerback position via the 2023 NFL Draft

The Steelers will have a lot of work to do in the summer. The team has many pending free agents, including Cameron Sutton. The six-year veteran just had one of the best seasons of his career, recording 43 total tackles, 15 pass breakups and an interception.

With Sutton likely looking for a big paycheck and Pittsburgh having limited cap space, there is a chance the team loses him in free agency. Although they have other cornerbacks under contract for 2023, the Steelers could have a big gap in the position. Because of that, they should consider fixing that problem in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Pittsburgh currently has the No. 17 pick in the draft. According to multiple projections, there should be a couple of promising cornerbacks available at that point.

One of them is Devon Witherspoon. A member of the Illinois Fighting Illini, he was a consensus All-American in 2022 after having 42 tackles, 14 passes defended and three picks.

Another option is Kelee Ringo. He was an important part of Georgia's back-to-back national titles, which included a game-sealing pick-six against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2021 season.

Regardless of what Sutton decides to do, Pittsburgh should consider upgrading the cornerback position. With the problems with the salary cap, the 2023 NFL Draft is a good way to address the situation.

2. The defensive front

Another area that the team needs to consider upgrading in 2023 is the defensive front. Although the Steelers have Cameron Hayward, he will be 34 by the start of next season. This means that sooner or later they will need to find his replacement.

Even with Hayward playing at a Pro Bowl level, the unit still struggled as a whole. The Steelers only recorded 40 sacks, which was worse than some non-playoff teams such as the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders. They also allowed 29 passing touchdowns, placing them in the bottom five in the league.

It is worth noting that Watt's injury played a role in the slow start for Pittsburgh's defense. Without him, the team went just 1-6. After his return, the Steelers won seven out of their last nine games.

Considering Hayward's age, what the Steelers performed without Watt and the defensive numbers in 2022, they should think about upgrading the defensive front. Whether it is for depth or with starting-caliber pieces, Pittsburgh could have made the playoffs if it had a better defense when Watt went down.

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1. The offense in general

In its first year without Roethlisberger in nearly two decades, Pittsburgh's offense significantly struggled in 2022. The team had the fewest passing touchdowns in the entire NFL with only 12 and had only 3,411 yards through the air, just the No. 24 passing offense in the regular season. Its 4.1 yards per carry was also in the bottom 10 in the league.

Because of that, many thought the team should go after another offensive coordinator. However, Pittsburgh ended up confirming that Matt Canada will return for the 2023 season. Although the numbers were not ideal, the Steelers did show some improvement towards the end of the season, which included going 7-2 after their bye week.

Also, Pickett threw five touchdowns against one interception following the Week 9 bye after throwing two touchdowns to eight picks in his first five games in the NFL. The quarterback finished the season with 2,404 passing yards on a 63% completion rate. He had seven touchdowns versus nine interceptions.

Now with Pickett having his first year as a full-time starter, Pittsburgh's offense could take a big jump. He will likely be more comfortable in the spot as he showed in the final months of the 2022 season. Additionally, Pickett should have the entire preseason to practice as a starter, something he only did in-season in 2022.

If the Steelers fix their offensive problems, especially with Pickett set for a breakout year, they could certainly return to the postseason by the 2023 season.