Ranking the top 10 Pittsburgh Steelers heading into the 2021 NFL season

4. Stephon Tuitt

Stephon Tuitt put himself among the top defensive ends in the league over the last year and thus deserves to be named a top-five Steeler. Though he has yet to be selected to a Pro Bowl, he had a spectacular 2020 season in which he had eleven sacks and thirty-three tackles, ten of which were tackles for loss, which in my opinion was Pro Bowl worthy.

The Steelers have a top-five defensive line in the league, and with Tuitt coming off his best season yet, it is almost certain he will be able to replicate this success. Similar to a few of the Steelers mentioned on this list, this is a season where all eyes will be on Tuitt.

3. Cam Heyward

PFF has ranked Cam Heyward as the 31st overall player in the NFL, and for a good reason. The 4x Pro Bowler and 2x All-Pro posted four sacks, fifty-four tackles, one interception, seven tackles for loss in the 2020 season, and the Pro Bowl.

Some may look at these numbers and question my placement of Heyward, but as someone who is constantly demanding double teams, it is easy to understand why. Heyward is the leader on this defense, and while he is starting to get up there in age (32 years old), he still is an essential player on this roster.

Sam Mason of PFF wrote, “The later into his career he gets, the better Heyward seems to play. The longtime Steeler’s 75 defensive stops lead all players at his position over the same period by seven, and he trails only Donald in terms of total pressures. The Los Angeles Rams star is in a world all by himself, but Heyward has a good case to be seen as the best interior defender not named Donald in the NFL — and that’s an impressive achievement.” While there is a chance we see a slide in Heyward’s production this upcoming season, his last four seasons should indicate what we will most likely see from Heyward.