Categorizing skill levels of Steelers offensive players

The Pittsburgh Steelers possessed one of the leagues most talented offenses a season ago. Here is how I categorized each offensive player in 2019.

There have been a lot of questions surrounding the Steelers offense this season and how they will perform without the likes of All-Pro wide receiver, Antonio Brown. It’s true that Brown, Le’Veon Bell, and Mike Munchak have all exited Pittsburgh this offsesaon, and these losses are likely to have some sort of implication on the offense.

Still, the show must go on and the Steelers have a number of competent, successful players on the offensive side of the ball. Here is how I categorized the skill level of each offensive player on the Steelers in 2019:

Elite talent

David DeCastro, RG

Maurkice Pouncey, C

Ben Roethlisberger, QB

These three players were recently given the best chance at making the Hall of Fame on day. DeCastro is probably the best overall offensive player currently on the roster, and is considered one of the very best in the league at his position.

Maurkice Pouncey has made the Pro Bowl 7 out of 8 seasons, and has 2 All-Pros to his resume. Ben Roethlisberger may not be considered among the top five quarterbacks currently in the NFL, but the 6-time Pro Bowler and 2-time Super Bowl champion will have his name called to Canton one day.

Emerging NFL stars

JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR

James Conner, RB

JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner are part of the same 2017 draft class that could turn out to be epic for the Steelers. That class also included emerging defensive star, T.J. Watt, and has potential to go down as the best draft in the Mike Tomlin era.

JuJu is quickly becoming one of the best young receivers in the National Football League, and both he and Conner were Pro Bowlers in just their 2nd NFL seasons. These players are quickly emerging as NFL stars, though JuJu is more likely to achieve stardom than Conner at this point.

Above average starter

Alejandro Villanueva, LT

Vance McDonald, TE

Ramon Foster, LG

These three players are all considered above average NFL starters, but aren’t quite good enough to reach the elite level of their NFL peers at their respective positions. Villanueva didn’t become an NFL starter until the age of 27, but has made back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2017 and 2018.

Ramon Foster and Vance McDonald have not made a single Pro Bowl in their careers, but are both very solid football players who prove to be pivotal pieces to the puzzle for the Steelers. They are on the edge of being considered Pro Bowl-worthy talents.

Solid role players

Jaylen Samuels, RB

Donte Moncrief, WR

Matt Feiler, RT

B.J. Finney, OG

Roosevelt Nix, FB

This category seems a bit vague, but this simply means players who provide good, but not great, contributions to the team. Jaylen Samuels proved to be a solid rotational piece to the Steelers last season, and performed well when James Conner went down.

Moncrief is still unproven in Pittsburgh, but he has been a solid role player with both the Jaguars and Colts in his 5-year NFL career. Feiler was a solid stop-gap starter for Marcus Gilbert last season who has a chance to push for the ‘above average starter’ label with another strong season in 2019.

Finney has also been excellent when asked to take over in a pinch, and Roosevelt Nix is a good run blocker who excels on special teams.

Below average

James Washington, WR

Ryan Switzer, WR

Eli Rogers, WR

Xavier Grimble, TE

Trey Edmunds, RB

The Steelers were once considered to have perhaps the best receiving corps in the league, however things have chanced since losing Martavis Bryant and Antonio Brown. Though it is early into his career, James Washington struggled with his 38 targets last season – catching just 16 balls. Rogers and Switzer both serve as capable slot receivers, but are below average compared to their NFL peers.

Xavier Grimble is best suited as a teams’ 3rd tight end, but will be forced into a larger role in 2019, and Trey Edmunds (the brother of 2018 1st round pick, Terrell) is a journeyman special teams player.

Unproven

Josh Dobbs, QB

Mason Rudolph, QB

Benny Snell, RB

Diontae Johnson, WR

Zach Gentry, TE

Chukwuma Okorafor, OT

Zach Banner, OT

Jerald Hawkins, OT

Whether be it from a lack of game experience or injuries, these players have not seen the football field enough (or at all for some) in the regular season to make a reasonable assessment of their play. Dobbs and Rudolph are two young quarterbacks with some upside, while Snell and Johnson stand to be early contributors to the Steelers offense.

Zach Gentry will have a chance to secure the team’s 3rd tight end spot on the roster with Jesse James gone. The three offensive tackles have also seen very little NFL action, and as such are slotted as unproven players at this point.

There are players in some of these categories that have a chance to elevate their status as early as this season. It will be interesting to see the change (and hopefully growth) in these areas by the end of 2019.