6 Steelers who are poised to break out in 2020 season
By Andrew Falce
Vince Williams
Vince Williams is a hard player to root against on the Steelers. After being a 6th round pick in 2013, he has worked his way up from a special teamer to a quality starter. That said, he saw a massive cut in playtime with Mark Barron taking over as the starter last year. With Barron gone though, Williams has a clear shot at reclaiming his starting role.
It may be bold to say 2020 will be a breakout year for him as his 2017 was his best so far. Playing next to Shazier, Williams was allowed to focus on his best traits (stopping the run and rushing the QB) while Shazier patrolled the middle and covered up Williams issues with coverage. 2020 may not have Shazier, but it does have Bush who can do similar things.
Assuming Bush goes on to be the lead LB, Williams will be allowed to focus on his best traits again. It’s even possible he sees the 75 percent of the snaps due to the lack of depth at the position. Assuming all of that, it isn’t unthinkable that Williams has a return to prominence again. He could post nearly 100 tackles along with 6-8 sacks due to the strength of this defense and the fact he has a good running mate at LB.