5 most underappreciated Steelers heading into the 2020 season
By Tommy Jaggi
1. DL Stephon Tuitt
In my mind, nobody has drawn the short end of the stick for the Steelers quite like Stephon Tuitt. In addition to suffering injuries every season since his rookie year in 2014, Tuitt’s play has been overshadowed by the dominant emergence of Cameron Heyward over the past three years.
Though Tuitt is entering his seventh NFL season, he turned just 27 years old in May and has a long career still ahead of him. But the former second-round pick doesn’t just have youth on his side.
Tuitt has earned 9.0 sacks in his last 14 games, yet nobody is even talking about the impact he’s been making for the Steelers. Despite playing just six games last sesaon, Tuitt finished as PFF’s 6th rated interior defender with an overall grade of 89.1. This was higher than players like Chris Jones, D.J. Reader, DeForest Bucker, and Javon Hargrave.
Tuitt has been on the edge of dominance for some time now, but injuries have derailed his promising NFL career. If he can stay healthy for 16 games this season, I very much doubt that Tuitt will fly under the radar any longer. I think he’s the most underappreciated player on the Steelers.
Next. 5 Steelers players who could be in final year with the team. dark
It will be interesting to watch these guys contribute in 2020. If they continue to play at a high level, it won’t be long until they are earning some time in the spotlight alongside the stars of the team.