The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a solid free-agency period so far.

By the team’s established standard, cornerback Patrick Peterson is an unusually big-name signing. He’s an upgrade over Cameron Sutton for 2023, anyway, and less expensive.

The rest of the arrivals and departures are via the Steelers blueprint.

Whether you’re coming or going, the Steelers slap a price tag on you. They rarely budge. If you want more, the Steelers aren’t interested.

Free agency hasn’t improved the Steelers more than very marginally. If they’re to make the playoffs in ’23, their first three draft picks need to contribute no small amount.

The Steelers never look past the next season. But whether they admit it or realize it, it will take several years of good offseasons and player development before they’re ready to win a playoff game.

And it might be tougher than that.

With just two exceptions, either Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Ben Roethlisberger quarterbacked every AFC entry in the Super Bowl from 2002-19.

In the past four seasons, Patrick Mahomes has done it three times, Joe Burrow once. Throw in, say, Josh Allen, and the AFC likely faces a similar cycle.

For the Steelers to reach a Super Bowl, Kenny Pickett has to beat at least one of those quarterbacks in the playoffs, and likely two or even three. That’s some gauntlet. It would help if the Steelers won the AFC North, but they need to beat Burrow to do that.

That’s not even considering Aaron Rodgers playing a few seasons with the New York Jets, or Justin Herbert, or Trevor Lawrence. What if Lamar Jackson stays in Baltimore? The AFC is flush with quality quarterbacks.

That’s what the Steelers are up against.

They might be able to do it. Pickett might be able to do it. But certainly not in ’23.

The Steelers must also battle their own philosophy.

The Steelers believe in ball control and defense. That can beat bad teams in today’s NFL. It won’t often beat good teams, or great quarterbacks.

That was graphically proven this past Oct. 30 when the Steelers lost 35-13 at Philadelphia.

The Steelers had the ball for 34 minutes, 18 seconds. But the Eagles scored four touchdowns before they ran a play in the red zone. That’s how football is now.

Here’s predicting the Steelers use the 17th pick on a cornerback. (Take Peezy’s kid.) But if they took a receiver like Jordan Addison, the Steelers couldn’t be blamed.

Even an elite defense (or whatever kind of defense the Steelers have) won’t often beat the AFC’s holy trinity of quarterbacks. You need a lot of points. That requires a lot of weapons.

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