5 Key players who could be gone after 2020
By Edward Hunt
2020 is going well but the Steelers could lose a few key players after the season ends.
The Steelers are 6-0 and now have a signature win under their belt. They beat the Tennessee Titans in Nashville albeit on a missed field goal.
The Black & Gold are well-stocked at almost every position but could lose some after the season is over. It is a natural part of being in the NFL but this year could be worse than in previous years.
These key players all have a role on either offense or defense which makes this even harder as they aren’t just special teamers. The good news is that none of them are irreplaceable which is something to consider when talking about players lost.
The thing that has impressed me about this 2020 team is how they pick each other up. When DeCastro went down, it was Dotson. When Diontae Johnson went down, Claypool stepped up. They will need to have that next man up mentality going into 2021.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
It’s never good when you lose your #1 receiver but it looks like somebody has already stepped up to be the #1 receiver in Pittsburgh. Chase Claypool is now the receiver defenses are shutting down leaving other receivers open.
JuJu Smith-Schuster had a good game against the Titans. According to ESPN, he had 9 catches for 85 yards and was the Steeler’s leading receiver on the day. Chase Claypool got shut down today on the stat sheet but was an effective decoy.
The Steelers have had success drafting wide receivers on Day Two and doing it almost every year of the Kevin Colbert era. I expect that the Steelers will do the same in the 2021 draft. They may even draft two receivers with only four wide receivers returning in 2021.