When Kenny Pickett’s car was stolen last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback’s playbook was in it.

If it’s similar to last year’s playbook, no one in Steelers Nation has much reason to be concerned. Based on what Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt was saying, opposing defenses didn’t need the playbook in advance to crack the Steelers code anyway.

After all, the Steelers offense was pretty simple last year. There was the “throw the ball short of the sticks to Diontae Johnson and hope for the best” play. There was the “heave a ball down the sideline to George Pickens and hope for the best” play. And there was the “hand the ball to Najee Harris and hope for the best” play.

Aside from that, things weren’t too complex for second-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada and his rookie QB — or even when veteran Mitch Trubisky was under center for that matter.

As we have mentioned in this space before, for all the praise the Steelers have received for their roster moves this offseason — most of which is well deserved — really only two things matter:

1. How is Canada going to scheme up a more potent offense?

2. How effective will Pickett be running that offense with (presumably) more on his plate?

Everything else surrounding the Steelers this offseason is a side dish by comparison.

Sure, general manager Omar Khan did a nice job beefing up the offensive line. Darnell Washington, Allen Robinson, Calvin Austin III and Anthony Miller could all be interesting pieces that weren’t part of the equation in 2022. A deeper, more versatile defense could give the offense the ball in better situations.

But all that pales in comparison to the growth necessary from the QB and the coordinator.

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Speaking with media during last week’s organized team activities, Pickett seemed aware of that spotlight.

“We got the guys, we’ve got to go execute. That’s how football is. It’s always like that. At some point, it’s players, not plays. We got to step up and make plays,” Pickett said.

The quarterback also appeared to grasp the best way make that happen.

“Being good on first down and having a chance to push the ball down the field on second down knowing we have a manageable third if we don’t hit it,” Pickett said. “We definitely want to be balanced and spread the football around.”

At least in terms of the amount of information and the pace of installation of the offense, Pickett seems to think it is appropriately ahead of last year’s schedule when Canada was dealing with revamping the whole playbook in Year 1 ABB (after Big Ben).

“I went back and watched our first OTA last year, it’s a different team honestly not just player wise, but in terms of plays and how much we have in already,” Pickett said. “So, credit to the coaching staff for being here working hard and guys showing up when they don’t have to be, and being here and knowing what they have to do and to be able to go out there and put six installs in, or five installs, where we were only really at one or two at this time last year.”

However, as Pickett previously stressed, the depth of the playbook and the scheme of the individual plays are one subject. The ability of Pickett and his fellow offensive players to execute them is another matter.

That’s something that the Steelers began to do better in the second half of 2022, when the team went 7-2 down the stretch. But they were still hardly an offensive juggernaut, averaging 20.5 points in those seven victories — a pace that would’ve put them 23rd in the NFL over a full season. Overall in 2022, the Steelers were tied for 29th in scoring at 18.1 points per game.

“I feel like we’re super efficient,” Pickens said. “With guys adjusting to (the offense), seeing it every day, it’s a lot easier now. From the first OTA practice last year to the one (Tuesday), it was totally different.”

That better be the case. And the trend better continue into the early half of the regular season. Because the Steelers can’t rely on another manic November and December scramble drill against a soft schedule to get back in postseason contention as they did in 2022.

It still wasn’t enough to qualify for playoffs, let alone win a postseason game for the first time in six years.

Anything short of that accomplishment this year will bring similar scrutiny back to Pickett and Canada next offseason. If that’s the case, the conversation will likely be less about how to further build better pieces around both of them and will be more about if they should be given a third year together to make it happen.

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