The Pittsburgh Steelers have some players who were close to receiving high NFL honors last season. Here are three potential award winners in 2020.
As a team, the Pittsburgh Steelers disappointed in 2019. With high expectations entering the season, those were thrown out the window when Ben Roethlisberger went down with a season-ending elbow injury.
But despite all of their struggles last season, several players stood out above the rest. In fact, a few Steelers received All-Pro honors and were close to earning some of the NFL’s most coveted awards.
Though 2020 will present completely new challenges, there are still a handful of Steelers who could be up for NFL awards by the end of the season. Here are three Pittsburgh players who could win a major award in 2020:
Ben Roethlisberger: Comeback Player of the Year
There is no better candidate for this award in 2020, and I certainly wouldn’t bet against Roethlisberger earning this honor. After playing just two games and struggling early last season, Ben landed on IR. However, he appears to be fully recovered entering the upcoming season.
In 2018, Roethlisberger led the NFL in passing yards and pitched in 34 touchdown passes. Though many think Rob Gronkowski’s reunion with quarterback Tom Brady in Tampa Bay makes him a strong candidate for the Comeback Player of the Year award, these typically go to quarterbacks.
Roethlisberger is on a mission to prove his doubters wrong. Even at 38-years-old and coming off the biggest injury of his career, there is a very good chance he comes down with this award after the 2020 season.