The Pittsburgh Steelers will look to potential unknown names as big contributors to the 2021 team.
The Steelers will have to rely on many unproven players on their roster to become positive contributors instantly if they wish to reach their goals. Each team needs depth, resilience, and timely plays to win in the NFL and this team will need all three going forward.
There is hardly any depth at multiple positions across this team and that could lead to losing if certain players are lost to injury or lack the ability many in the front office expect from them. After free agency, this team has many new names that will be relied on in either starting roles or major contributing positions in 2021. It will be up to them for this team to steer in the right direction for this upcoming campaign.
Dan Moore Jr.
Dan Moore was one of the Steelers fourth-round selections as the big offensive tackle comes out of the Texas A&M program. He has all the physical tools that teams look for in a moldable prospect in the NFL Draft. The only issue is that this player still needs some improvement before starting in this league.
The black and gold will have Chuks Okorafor and Zach Banner as the starting tackles but if one of those two get injured or struggle, then Moore will be the next man up. If last season presents any indication of potential injury, then this could become a reality for this team that they hope does not. The ideal scenario for Moore would be sitting a season or so and gaining mental reps from the sidelines and practice. If an injury does occur then his growth to an NFL tackle will have to happen on the fly.
Antoine Brooks Jr.
Antoine Brooks Jr. was a sixth-round selection for the Steelers in the 2020 NFL Draft. He did not get a lot of reps throughout his rookie season besides special teams. This is a versatile player that could get a shot at the starting slot corner spot if he can prove to coaches his capability in practices. James Pierre seems to be the anointed one when it comes to the Steelers starting slot spot on defense and the third spot on the depth chart for the position but don’t count out others just yet. Brooks did not make the initial 53 man roster coming out of camp but he stuck around on the practice squad last season before getting called up. He made some tackles on special teams and showed a little of what he can do in practices.
This player is someone many are not considering for a starting spot or even potentially making the team out of training camp and that is a mistake. His youth is an asset and his versatility is another weapon that he brings along. He can play slot, safety, or potentially as a linebacker/safety hybrid in some scenarios. The depth at safety is very scarce and those that make the team behind the starters are up in the air at the moment.
Justin Layne
Many fans have forgotten about Justin Layne with all of the talk about James Pierre throughout this offseason. Layne did make news with some law trouble around the beginning of the new league year in the NFL. He looks to be out of trouble with the law and the Steelers might need this player to step up now. Many forget that this cornerback was a third-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft and that normally means that player will start for your team sooner or later. Layne is mostly just an outside corner but he could always get a look at the starting slot-corner position as well.
Another idea is to have Cam Sutton slide back into his slot position where he thrived and have your former third-round selection start opposite of Joe Haden on the outside. Layne needs to show something to this team or they will be moving on quickly as his time is running out. There were great players ahead of him before where he could learn and grow slowly but now it’s his time to contribute. This player could solve a lot of issues if he can become a solid contributor at cornerback for this defense starting in 2021. This corner will be a big boom or bust contender for this upcoming season as the black and gold are going to count on him going forward.
Marcus Allen
Marcus Allen is a former fifth-round selection from the 2018 NFL Draft class. He started in his career slowly working his way up through the practice squad and onto special teams. Finally, in 2020 he started contributing to the starting defense. Allen was drafted as a safety coming out of Penn State but over time the Steelers have envisioned him as more of an inside linebacker or safety/linebacker hybrid. This is a hard-hitting and physical player that showed his toughness last season. He helped step up and fill in when injuries decimated that inside linebacker group. He provided amazing depth and showed the coaching staff what he can do when his number gets called.
The safety position has little to no depth and the inside linebacker spot has become more saturated since the beginning of last season but Allen is different. His speed and physicality in the middle create mismatches against opposing offenses where he can cover with speed and help fill in the run game. He played fairly well during his time starting on this defense in 2020 so coaches will find ways to bring him on the field to contribute in 2021 as well. This is another player where the Steelers have to kind and figure out exactly what they have and what they want to do with moving forward. He has all the skills to be an effective piece on this defense and this team seems to want to find ways of getting him on the field.
The Steelers will rely on many names that most fans have not really heard of in recent seasons. These players will need to make a name for themselves instantly for this team to be successful in 2021.