Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Steelers finished just 8-8 in 2012 and are even more motivated to return to AFC grace with the hated rivals Baltimore Ravens bringing home a Super Bowl XLVII Championship. However, it’s becoming clearer each day that the team will be without their biggest offensive weapons in Mike Wallace. 

When next season rolls around Wallace will be 27-years-old and will be playing somewhere else this NFL season as the Steelers have shown little to no interest in resigning the speedster. While you may look at his inconsistent play and say that the team wont skip a beat, I assure you that the Steelers must make a move to fill the gap Wallace will leave.

In one of his worst seasons since entering the league Wallace was unable to reach 1,000 yards receiving but, he was able haul in eight touchdowns and 64 receptions. With Ben Roethlisberger being a shadow of himself in 2012 Wallace was unable to put up great numbers like his league leading 19.4 Yards Per Receptions in his rookie campaign.

Wallace caught 12 balls of 31 or more yards in 2012 and will be a dazzling piece to any NFL team looking to make a difference in 2013.

An aging Steelers team will have to make a decision on how to replace Wallace and what to do in order to make up for his big play potential as Roethlisberger will need someone to open up the field.

In order for the club to return atop the AFC South they will need Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders to make big plays down field–a running game will also be key for this team in 2013.