The Steelers might have a few weak areas, but these three positional groups have the upside to be the very best in the NFL in 2021.
Not everything went swimmingly for the Pittsburgh Steelers this past offseason. Due to the pandemic, the NFL salary cap ceiling was lowered to $182.5 million for the 2021 season, according to Over the Cap. It just so happened that the team had numerous starters hitting the free-agent market this offseason, and there wasn’t anything the Steelers could do to retain them.
Though some positions look significantly worse on paper entering the 2021 season, others have the potential to be as strong as they have been in decades. Here are three Steelers positional groups that have a chance to be the very best in the league in 2021:
Steelers safeties
Having a transcending perennial All-Pro talent like Minkah Fitzpatrick would be just about enough for any team to be considered among the best safety groups in the NFL. Minkah has the most takeaway-worthy plays over the past two seasons and is one of the youngest defenders in the history of the NFL to earn 2 First-Team All-Pro honors.
Though Fitzpatrick deservingly receives much of the praise in the back end, Terrell Edmunds was far from a bad player in 2020 either. After a disappointing second season in 2019 that saw Edmunds surrender 4 passing touchdowns and a 131.6 passer rating, that number improved to just 1 touchdown and a 70.8 passer rating allowed last year, according to Pro Football Reference.
Where the Steelers are lacking most among their safety room is experienced depth, as Antoine Brooks Jr. could end up being the top backup this year. However, if both Fitzpatrick and Edmunds can stay healthy and build on their 2020 pace, this could very well be the best safety tandem in the league this year.
Steelers Interior defensive line
The Steelers have a lot of beef up front on their defensive line, and they only seem to be getting better in recent years. Cameron Heyward had a relatively slow start to his NFL career and never earned more than 7.5 sacks in a season until his 7th year in the league. However, since becoming a First-Team All-Pro player in 2017, Heyward has asserted himself as one of the best interior defenders in the league.
Now, Stephon Tuitt seems to be following in his footsteps. Tuitt had a rocking start to his 2019 season before a pectoral tear landed him on Injured Reserve. However, he bounced back beautifully with 11.0 sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, and 25 quarterback hits in 2020.
The depth is also noteworthy on the Steelers. After thinking he was going to sign with the Jaguars this offseason, Tyson Alualu returns to the Steelers in 2021 to man the nose tackle position. Despite his age, Alualu graded out as one of the bests interior defenders in the league last year.
Meanwhile, Chris Wormley is a competent defender in the 5-technique rotation who can spell Heyward and Tuitt of snaps, and there are some young players like Carlos Davis, Isaiah Buggs, and Isaiahh Loudermilk who could all chip in to make this potentially the best interior defensive line unit in the league in 2021.
Steelers wide receivers
I’m not yet ready to label any wide receiver on the Steelers as a WR1 at this point in time; that title is typically reserved for NFL wide receivers that truly set themselves apart from the rest of the pack. Though they certainly weren’t always consistent in 2020, the youth and depth of this group give it an outside chance to develop into the very best in the league.
Chase Claypool has an extremely rare combination of size and athletic traits for the position and showed the ability to win down the field often in 2020 or draw penalties trying. Meanwhile, Diontae Johnson has an innate ability to beat the press and create quick separation. He could develop into a great “X” receiver if he can clean up his drop issues.
In addition to this, JuJu Smith-Schuster is one of the better slot receivers in the league (though he has voiced that he wants to play more on the outside), while James Washington is a reliable receiver who can pluck the ball out of the air and pose as a deep threat.
Obviously, the success of this group will be directly tied to the quarterback play. However, if Ben Roethlisberger can take a step up being another year removed from his elbow surgery, the sky is the limit for this deep group of wide receivers.
With 32 teams in the NFL and hundreds of extremely talented players, the Steelers will be fortunate to have just one of these positional groups turn out to be the best in the league. However, the potential is all there for these three groups to be great. If young players continue to develop, all three could be among the best in the league in 2021.