The Pittsburgh Steelers have always had players who were the face of the franchise. Here are the top 5 most important players to the Steelers future.
The Steelers have seen great players come and go in recent years. While some players are stop-gaps that fill a temporary need, others are crucial cornerstones to the Steelers franchise.
Even though it takes 22 starters and 53 players to make up an NFL roster, there is no denying the impact great players can make on the team. A perfect example of this was All-Pro and Hall of Fame bound safety, Troy Polamalu.
Polamalu played a position that wasn’t regarded as one of the most important for building an NFL roster, yet he proved his worth day in and day out with remarkable play all over the football field. During his prime, he was the cornerstone to the Steelers defense, and one of the most important players in their long history.
So who are the top five most important players on the Steelers roster right now?
I recently put together a list of players I believe are most important to the state of the Steelers future. For this list, I considered a number of factors including the age of the player, the value of their position, and how I believe they will do moving forward.
Based off this criteria, here are my top five most important players to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ future:
5. Ben Roethlisberger, QB
A few years ago (and for most of his career), Ben would have been the top player on this list – without question. The Steelers success still comes and goes as Roethlisberger does. However, he’s not the same player he once was.
Ben Roethlisberger was a terrific football player and two-time Super Bowl Champion. Though he was never the most consistent or accurate quarterback in the league, he had an unnatural ability to extend plays and thrive in big moments.
Unfortunately, time is catching up with Roethlisberger, and it’s beginning to show.
Big Ben has thrown 59 interceptions over the past 4 seasons, and at age 37 and without Antonio Brown, there’s a chance we could see another decline in play.
The quarterback position has the biggest impact on the game, and is almost a requirement for a team to be successful. Regardless of his age, the Steelers live and die by Ben Roethlisberger, and though he’s not going to last forever, he is still vital to Pittsburgh’s future.
Ben is still likely to be a top 10 quarterback, but with just a few years left in the tank, there are other, younger players the Steelers can build a franchise around.
4. David DeCastro, RG
I know David DeCastro is just a guard, but he’s the glue that holds that upper tier offensive line together. Still in his late 20’s, DeCastro has a lot left to offer, as we’ve seen good offensive linemen last a long time in this league.
DeCastro is a 2-time First-Team All-Pro and 4-time Pro Bowler who is clearly among the best in the league at his position.
He is one of the best players on the Steelers and is a big reason why the Steelers have had such great success in recent years on the offensive line. DeCastro is also a player that you could make the case for being the very best player in the entire league at his position (that is not something that is currently in the cards for Ben Roethlisberger).
David DeCastro is an anchor against the pass and a Mack Truck in the run game. He can handle his own against the best defensive tackles in the business.
Though there are younger players on the roster, DeCastro could easily play another 6-8 years and be a protector for whichever quarterback is next in line after Ben.
3. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR
I typically wouldn’t put a wide receiver this high on a list of players most important to the franchise, but with JuJu Smith-Schuster, it’s hard not to. Though he was among the youngest players in the league when he was drafted in 2017, JuJu is already a leader for the Steelers and always seems to come up big in the clutch.
The Steelers have had a rich history of success when drafting wide receivers, and JuJu is no exception. JuJu is still younger than many of the receivers drafted this year, and with two years of NFL experience under his belt, the sky is the limit for what he might accomplish.
At the end of the 2018 season, JuJu’s teammates voted him Team MVP. Though his fumble against the Saints possibly cost the Steelers their season, it was his miraculous level of play against teams like the Jaguars and Bengals that even gave Pittsburgh a fighting chance in the first place.
JuJu may not be the most gifted wide receiver in the league from an athleticism standpoint, but his passion for the game and will to win can match anybody in the NFL. He is already a very good player at the age of 22, and has a chance to be a great player for years to come.
2. Devin Bush, ILB
I know this may seem unreasonably high for a 20-year old player who has yet to see any NFL action, but I truly believe Devin Bush is going to be one of the most important Steelers for a long time.
I was extremely high on the Michigan linebacker coming into the draft (he was 7th overall on my big board), and I am ecstatic that Pittsburgh was able to land him.
The Steelers apparently agreed with my assessment, as they jumped up 10 spots in the first round to secure Devin Bush with the 10th overall pick. Bush impressed with his ability to diagnose and run sideline-to-sideline.
As a former two-time team captain, he proved to be a capable leader, despite always being one of the youngest players on the field. He was also the recipient of the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award in 2018 – which is no easy accomplishment.
We saw the difference a great player like Ryan Shazier could make to a defense. Bush offers an array of speed, instincts, and ferociousness that only some of the all-time greats possessed. I think he will have a good chance to hear his name slated with the rest of Pittsburgh’s great linebackers, when it’s all said and done.
1. T.J. Watt, EDGE
Watt grabs my top spot of the ‘5 players most important to the Steelers future’ for several reasons.
T.J. Watt emerged as one of the better pass rushers in the league before his 24th birthday. By the end of the season in 2018, Watt was on fire. According to Pro Football Focus, no edge defender won at a higher rate as a pass rusher than T.J. Watt in weeks 13-16 last year.
Not only does T.J. Watt play one of the most important positions in the league, he’s already doing so at nearly an elite level. Watt is also embracing his role as a leader on the Steelers defense, and with his unmatched energy and love for the game, he is a player that his teammates are sure to rally around.
A good pass rusher can last a long time in this league. Watt only seems to be scratching the surface of his talent, and has an incredibly bright future ahead of him.
If faced with the difficult question of choosing between the players on this list, T.J Watt is the one that I would least be willing to give up. He will be a staple to the Steelers defense for a long time.
There aren’t many things more important to your team’s success than routinely getting after the quarterback. Watt might be able to do that for the next decade in Pittsburgh.