Predicting the Steelers biggest positional battles in 2020

The Steelers have some starting positions that could be left up to an open competition in 2020. Here are my predictions for Pittsburgh’s biggest battles.

I know it’s far too early in the offseason to get a good gauge of how the roster will look heading into the 2020 season. However, there are clearly some positions on the Steelers that look mirky at this point.

Though free agency and the NFL Draft will no doubt give us a clearer picture of how the roster is shaping up, we can assume that several positions will be left to an open competition. Here are potentially some of Pittsburgh’s biggest roster battles in 2020:

Right tackle

Matt Feiler and Zach Banner are both restricted free agents this year, and this position is looking more unclear than ever. Pittsburgh will no doubt like to retain both players, and it’s certainly possible they could do so.

Feiler was solid as a starter over the past two seasons for the Steelers, but an article from Mark Kaboly of The Athletic suggests that Banner could be the starter this year. In addition, former third-round draft choice, Chukwuma Okorafor would also like to get into the action. There is no doubt there will be some competition at right tackle this offseason.

Wide receiver

JuJu Smith-Schuster is still the top receiver in Pittsburgh as of now, but Diontae Johnson and James Washington were nipping at his heels in 2019. Both players arguably outperformed JuJu, and all three stand to be a big part of the offense this season.

Roethlisberger hasn’t had much time with either Washington or Johnson, and there is always the possibility either could emerge as one of Ben’s favorite targets in 2020. Regardless, all three players stand to be heavily utilized this season. It’s just a matter of who becomes the go-to guy.

Backup outside linebacker

For argument sake, we are just going to assume that Bud Dupree sticks with the Steelers on the franchise tag for next season. While he and T.J. Watt stand to see a large portion of defensive snaps in 2020, who’s in line after them?

Anthony Chickillo is a possible cut candidate this offseason because of his unreasonably high cap number. If he stays, he will be fighting for snaps with Ola Adeniyi and Tuzar Skipper. Not all five of these guys are guaranteed to be on the roster when the season rolls around – especially if they draft an edge rusher high this year. I think Chickillo gets the boot soon. Either way, there’s a lot that needs to be sorted out at edge defender before the season starts.

Backup inside linebacker

Much like the outside linebacker position, the Steelers starters are set in the middle with Devin Bush and Vince Williams for now. Mark Barron is almost certain to be cut this offseason, as he is set to earn over $8.1 million in 2020.

Outside of their top two, there are a ton of question marks. Tyler Matakevich has been a solid contributor and good special teams player, but his rookie deal expired after the 2019 season, and it’s unclear whether or not he will return. Ulysees Gilbert showed promise in the preseason as a rookie and he could be the beneficiary of weak depth at the position. Adding a linebacker this offseason is certainly a possibility as well.

I’m sure there will be more competition to come for the Steelers in 2020, but as of now, these are the top four positional groups to keep your eyes on. Pittsburgh could look to add more competition at these positions this offseason.