Steelers have zero representatives on PFF’s ’50 best players’ list for 2019
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers boasted impressive numbers last season, but failed to have a single player make Pro Football Focus’s ’50 best players’ list in 2019.
The Steelers fell just short of a playoff berth in 2018 with a 9-6-1 record, but despite their shortcomings, Pittsburgh was a pretty solid team on paper.
Offensively, the Steelers finished the 2018 season ranked 5th in points per game (26.8) and 5th in yards per game (403.3). On the defensive side of the football, they were 6th best in yards allowed per game (327.2) and 16th in points allowed per game (22.5).
Stats indicate the Steelers should have been better their record last season. However, even with all these statistics in their favor in 2018, the Steelers elite have fallen short in terms of Pro Football Focus Rankings.
PFF recently released a list of the ‘50 best players entering the 2019 season‘. The Steelers failed to have a single representative in the top 50.
The bottom of this list included players like Shaq Mason, Damon Harrison, Mitchell Schwartz, Eddie Jackson, and Ryan Ramczyk. With just 32 teams in the NFL and 50 spots available on this list, it is interesting to note that Pittsburgh didn’t have a single representative. Several teams had multiple players, and even the Chargers added 4 of their own to this list.
Players like David DeCastro, Maurkice Pouncey, T.J. Watt, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Cameron Heyward, and even Ben Roethlisberger should have, at the very least, been in consideration for this list.
Pro Football Focus, however, is very analytical in their evaluations, and the Steelers didn’t possess any elite PFF scores from their players in 2019.
Regardless of PFF’s view of Pittsburgh players, the Steelers have made it clear that they are comfortable rolling in to the 2019 season as underdogs, and are out to prove doubters wrong.
Though they lost Antonio Brown this offseason, Pittsburgh likely upgraded at cornerback and linebacker this year with the acquisitions of Steven Nelson, Justin Layne, and Devin Bush.
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It remains to be seen how Pittsburgh will fare in 2019, but we all know there is plenty of talent to go around on this franchise – regardless of what Pro Football Focus has to say.