5 Steelers that will be starters by this time next season

While these players are only reserves right now, these five Steelers have a great chance of ascending to a starting role by this time next year.

Developing into a starter in the NFL is no easy feat. Ignoring the already immensely minuscule odds of even making an active roster, the NFL has become a results-driven league. If a rookie doesn’t produce early in their career, fans are ready to move on. The Steelers emphasize this process though, even when it means banking on a relatively unknown player being the next man up. When this works, a team can continue to add new starters from the roster it carries each year as opposed to trying to add pricy free agents during the offseason. Here are the five Steelers that should become starters by this time next year.

Steelers Antoine Brooks Jr.

Antoine Brooks was an intriguing fit for the Steelers when he was drafted. He was a decent athlete and a great run stopper in college, but coverage concerns made him a potential move to linebacker candidate. While he sparingly played during his rookie season, he made some noise in the Week 10 win against the Bengals, where he effectively served as the slot defender due to injuries. Long-term, he doesn’t have the skills to stick in the slot, but the decent coverage he showed there leaves the door open to him being a more traditional safety.

Considering 2021 is likely Terrell Edmunds’s last season with the Steelers, the team will hope that Brooks can take over next year. He should at the very least see an expanded role this season to see if the flashes he showed in 2020 were anything more than that. He is in a great place to boost his stock this season with additional playing time, and if all goes well, he should be penciled in as the starter next season.