The Pittsburgh Steelers have a very talented roster. Who is on the Broncos player that would look the best in Black and Gold?
The Steelers already possess a talented roster in comparison to many other NFL teams, but it’s always fun to think about which player from the opposing team in their upcoming matchup would be an ideal fit in Pittsburgh.
There are a variety of options for the Pittsburgh Steelers in this instance. The Broncos have a ton of talent all over their roster. Drew Lock is looking better and better. If he were to have some time as the number two quarterback behind Roethlisberger, he could be Ben’s successor. Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon are both Pro Bowlers who offer intruige at the running back position as well. However, the Broncos have one guy that would make Blitzburgh even better: Jurrell Casey.
Why Jurrell Casey would be great for the Steelers
Casey is coming off of 5 consecutive Pro Bowls and looks like he could be making another trip to the star-studded game this year. Per ProFootballReference, through the last 5 full seasons he has had no less than 5.0 sacks, 44 tackles, or 10 quarterback hits in a single season. It is also worth mentioning he made 2nd team All-Pro in 2013 with a 10.5 sack season. At age 30, he still has plenty of tread on his tires. If he continues the level of play he had in Week 1 he may make All-Pro again.
Casey looked fantastic against his former team last week and was at the forefront of holding Derrick Henry under 4.0 yards per carry. ESPN has him ranked 1st among interior linemen in tackles in Week 1. He looked right at home with the Broncos on his first game of the season. He also had 2 passes defended (both were batted down at the line of scrimmage), and a quarterback hit.
Ryan Tannehill is a very mobile and slippery veteran. That being said, Casey is still one of the best pass-rushing defensive tackles in the league. He technically ranks 2nd all-time of all Titans pass rushers per The Football Database. If you count their time as the Tennesse Oilers and the Houston Oilers, then he would be ranked 5th all-time.
All of this is at the age of 30. Had Tennesse not moved on from him, he may have become the Titans all-time sack leader. Cameron Heyward has played in 5 less games than Casey, notching only 3 more sacks. With Casey being involved in a more talented pass rush, he may gain the benefit of less attention, this is something Heyward has been enjoying lately as his last 3 seasons garnered the three highest sack totals of his career so far, per ProFootballReference.
It is hard not to grin at the thought of a Steelers defensive Line containing Cam Heyward, Jurrell Casey, and Stephon Tuitt. Alualu played great against the Giants, and against a former undrafted tackle lining up at center. Jurrell Casey on the other hand has been looking great against every single offensive lineman he has played against for the last 5 years.
Alualu will do just fine this season. But if I had to pick one player from Denver to be on the Steelers it would be one of the best defensive linemen in the league. Bumping Alualu down to a reserve role again would not be a problem when replacing him with this talent. That is especially true in a division that boasts the best running offense in NFL history from 2019.