The Steelers New "Moneyball" Offense is Here

Now let's couple those with the fact that the Steelers potential starting QB, Mitch Trubisky, is only hitting the cap at $3.6mil. That's less than Mason Rudolph, who comes in at just 4mil next season.

We can't leave out stud running back Najee Harris. He's making roughly $3mil. So let's add up all of these numbers for the five impact players I just mentioned on offense. Now I'm horrible at math, but with some quick calculations, the total cap hit for the top offensive players is just over $14million dollars. That is less than HALF of what T.J. Watt is making annually.

I haven't even mentioned the fact that Pat Freiermuth's rookie contract isn't up until 2025 -- and he's only hitting on average $1.5mil a year. Unless the Steelers want to keep Diontae Johnson next year, they could potentially stay relevant on offense for the next three years or so without spending more than T.J. Watt makes in a season. It's a big IF, however.

Outside of the incoming draft choices, the Steelers should still do more for less. Receiver Tajae Sharpe could still be acquired for cheap, and so could Dante Pettis.

Now it's important to note that this is clearly an offense that is heavy on the rookie contracts. In the next few years, if the Steelers expect it to stay intact, they are going to have to start shelling out some real cash. However, through a rookie QB on a first-contract, they could keep a budget offense that produces enough points to stay competitive. They made the playoffs last year with far less talent. If the offense can improve, and defensive stars like Watt, Cam Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick can stay healthy - who's to say this Moneyball approach won't ultimately net this team a Super Bowl?