The Steelers 2020 season is an important one in terms of their championship window. They must strive to stay healthy and maximize the potential the roster has to make a playoff run.
In the NFL, it’s hard to make the playoffs and it is even harder to win a championship. That becomes even more difficult if you lose a key player along the way. The Steelers know this all too well after losing Ben Roethlisberger for all of last season right when their defense turned a corner. Like many teams, losing their quarterback spelled doom for the season almost before it began.
However, there are 52 other players on an NFL roster, and losing a quarterback isn’t the only way to derail a promising season. Everyone knows they cannot lose Big Ben, but, what about some other players?
The makeup of a roster is littered with different roles for different players. There’s a mix of veterans who have been with the team for a while, recently brought in veterans, up and coming young guys and rookies.
Through that mix of players, some guys develop leadership roles and some become the energy of their position group and so on. The dynamic is disrupted when any of these guys gets sidelined and affects performance on the field.
Aside from Big Ben, there are five guys who the Steelers can not afford to lose this season. If they want to make a run, these guys must stay healthy and productive in their play and their roles to make a deep playoff run a reality.
Minkah Fitzpatrick
The Steelers defense was poised to have a pretty good season in 2019 regardless but something seemed to be missing. With Sean Davis hurt, the Steelers went out and got Minkah Fitzpatrick and he proved to be the missing link.
Minkah came in and immediately made his presence felt in his first game tallying five tackles, one pass breakup, an interception, and a forced fumble. It was a sign of things to come as he played his way to the pro bowl and first-team all-pro nods.
The Steelers had been lacking a big play-maker in their secondary since the great Troy Polamalu retired. Minkah brought versatility and big-play potential to a defense that was on the cusp of getting back to its former glory.
In 2020, the Steelers are getting Big Ben back and the defense is set to pick up where it left off. With a healthy Ben and a top-5 potential defense, the Steelers can make some noise.
If there is any doubt left in your mind, take a look at this:
Steelers before the Fitzpatrick trade:
— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) July 24, 2020
➤PFF Coverage Grade - 45.1(27th)
➤Completion percentage allowed - 78.8% (29th)
➤Passer rating allowed - 131.1(29th)
After:
➤PFF Coverage Grade - 91.3(2nd)
➤Completion percentage allowed - 63.2% (2nd)
➤Passer rating allowed - 76.6(2nd) pic.twitter.com/5WIEbpXvrT
Losing Minkah would be a huge blow to the confidence the defense plays with having a guy like him over the top. The defense can afford to be aggressive and play more instinctively knowing he’s on the field.
David DeCastro
David DeCastro has been a mainstay in the Steelers offensive line since being drafted in 2012. After his rookie season, in which he played in four games and started three, he became the full-time starter and is one of the best interior linemen in the league.
DeCastro has become a big-time leader on the team as a whole and among his offensive line teammates. The eight-year veteran has made five straight pro bowls and was a first-team all-pro in 2015 and 2017.
He has built a reputation as a mauler along the offensive line and a well-respected teammate. He provides the attitude of the team and will defend his brothers at all costs.
The team is getting younger in many spots and DeCastro serves as a veteran presence in the locker room. In an unusual season, veteran leadership will be more important than normal.
Perhaps the biggest reason they cannot afford to lose him is Big Ben. Part of the reason Ben is still playing is the line the Steelers built around him and losing DeCastro for any portion of the season could put Big Ben in some unwanted situations in the pocket.
The Steelers line had their struggles last season but, with a healthy Big Ben, they have a good opportunity to bounce back in 2020. That bounce-back will start with David DeCastro.
Cam Heyward
Heyward has been one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the league since he began his career. He has also been a severely underrated player in the league.
Cam is a quiet leader and lets his play do the talking on the field. He isn’t afraid to take the reigns and really drive a point home but, for the most part, he is able to get his point across subtly and firmly.
Heyward has been a mainstay on the defensive line in Pittsburgh aside from an injury in 2016 limiting him to just seven games. He has had an extremely dominant stretch since that injury, however, recording 29 sacks, 63 QB hits, 37 tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles in 47 games.
The Steelers defense has always only been as good as its defensive line. The front 7 plays a huge part in how well the secondary plays and it starts with guys like Cam Heyward.
He is also very instrumental in the passing game and his brute strength allows him to plug gaps and force backs to try and cut and the rest of the defense is there to clean the play up. He is a mammoth of a man and plays every snap utilizing his frame to the fullest.
Heyward and Tuitt make quite the pair when both stay healthy and both will start the year ready to go. Losing Cam at any point would be a huge blow to Tuitt and the rest of the defense and team.
T.J. Watt
It goes without saying that a team can never lose one of its best players without severely hindering their performance. That is of course the case with superstar edge rusher, T.J. Watt.
His play has gotten better each year of his short career so far as he has amassed a whopping 15 forced fumbles, 34.5 sacks, 36 tackles for loss, and 70 QB hits since his rookie season. He started as a rookie after a great camp and preseason and never looked back.
His rise to stardom is not lost on his teammates and coaches. They all realize they have a superstar player with a game-wrecking ability on their side and it elevates those around him on both sides of the ball.
Perhaps the person it helps the most is Bud Dupree. Dupree broke out last season and I do not doubt that being across from Watt helped him really elevate himself. Having a rusher of Watt’s caliber across from him opened things up for Dupree and the rest of the defense as well as they recorded this stat in 2020:
The Steelers were the only team to have 4 players with 40+ pressures in 2019
— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) July 22, 2020
➤ T.J. Watt - 70
➤ Cameron Heyward - 51
➤ Bud Dupree - 46
➤ Javon Hargrave - 43 pic.twitter.com/kj2qrNnvj2
Watt leading the charge in this is more proof the Steelers cannot afford to lose the DPOY candidate at any point. He has shown to be pretty durable in his first three seasons week in and week out.
Devin Bush
Bush came on strong in his first season and showed why the Steelers were fine giving up what they did to move up to take him in the draft. As a rookie, he displayed the speed and instincts they needed at inside linebacker since losing Ryan Shazier.
Bush did have some rookie struggles but, most rookies experience that no matter who they are. His struggles mainly came in zone coverage but, those issues can be ironed out with experience on where to be and when to be there.
Bush was a great tackler and run-stuffer as expected out of college. The real prize was his performance in man coverage.
https://twitter.com/PFF_Steelers/status/1287024811458228225?s=20
After a rocky start to the year in man, he tightened down and finished strong to end 2020. He can build off those successes while trying to hone his craft in zone coverage.
The Steelers cannot afford to lose him as they spent much of their time trying to find the solution to losing Shazier since he was hurt in 2017. His speed, instincts, and ability in the middle of the defense are what they were lacking next to Vince Williams.
The Steelers obviously cannot afford to lose Ben Roethlisberger for the second season in a row. However, these five players are also key components to the Steelers making a deep playoff run in 2020.