Training camp is finally upon us, but some players are still very much unknown. Here are the four best-kept secrets on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster.
Pittsburgh Steelers training camp is officially underway and fans are amping up the energy level for the upcoming NFL season. As players entered the practice facility, the media was unsurprisingly focused on the stars of the show. Players like T.J. Watt, Joe Haden, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Najee Harris had the cameras on them, while Ben Roethlisberger raised a little suspicion about his diet that was reportedly ‘stricter’ than Tom Brady’s.
While these are the type of players that fans typically focus on, the Steelers have some weapons that have yet to be truly deployed so far. That could very well change in 2021. Here are the Pittsburgh four best-kept secrets ahead of Steelers training camp:
WR/PR Ray-Ray McCloud
We have seen Ray-Ray McCloud in some capacity, yes, but I believe the best is still yet to come for this young offensive weapon. Though listed as a wide receiver, I think McCloud is best described as a gadget – one that is particularly intriguing to Matt Canada’s new offense.
In 2020, McCloud was often used on reverses and trick plays. He could be used even more so in that department this season. Additionally, there are talks that McCloud could operate more as a true slot receiver this year thanks to his quickness before and after the catch.
McCloud is already an impressive return man who averaged 10.3 yards per punt return in 2020. Now, he could be used more frequently in Canada’s offense that should include much more play-action and at-the-snap motion than we witnessed in 2020. Keep an eye on him this training camp.
LB Ulysees Gilbert III
Ulysees Gilbert is a player who drew a lot of buzz after a phenomenal rookie preseason in 2019. However, he has been very quiet since then. This is largely due to injuries that have kept him from playing in most games over his first two seasons. In fact, because Gilbert has landed on IR twice, he has dressed for just 11 contests since joining the team as a sixth-round draft choice in 2019.
This could be the year that things finally turn around for Gilbert. The young linebacker has excellent athletic traits that could make him the primary backup as the ‘Mack’ linebacker if Devin Bush were to go down. However, he was known for his innate coverage ability coming out of Akron.
Gilbert showed this in his first two NFL preseasons – capitalizing on passing downs and making plays on the ball. Now finally healthy, Gilbert has a chance to develop into the best coverage linebacker on this team (maybe only outside of Devin Bush, if he puts everything together).
This is a valuable trait – especially considering that most of the linebackers on their roster are not known for their ability in this area. Vince Williams’ recent retirement also opens the door for more snaps at the linebacker position this year. If Gilbert can take a step forward and finally stay healthy, Keith Butler could use him as a nickel linebacker on passing downs.
RB Anthony McFarland
I don’t know why some people insist on putting words in my mouth when it comes to my opinion on Anthony McFarland. I’ll be the first to admit that the young running back struggled mightily during his rookie season. However, we have to consider how McFarland could turn out under the right circumstances.
Though he had issues with his vision last year that resulted in missing a couple of big holes, the athletic traits are there, and there isn’t a player on Pittsburgh’s offense that could beat him in a foot race. Now reunited with Matt Canada (his former coach at Maryland), there’s no doubt the speedster will have a role in 2021.
McFarland will really benefit from a stretch-zone offense – especially one that’s not so predictable as what we saw in 2020. Though he may never be the most natural runner, all he needs is a crease to break off some big chunk yardage with his legitimate 4.4 speed.
Whereas players like Benny Snell and Kalen Ballage are essentially much lesser versions of what the team already has in Najee Harris, McFarland could offer the team an electric change of pace to Harris if he can get things down in 2021. He’s got a long way to go, but the upside is there to give this offense a much-needed spark.
DL Chris Wormley
Chris Wormley isn’t as young as some of the other players on this list, and he often goes completely unnoticed at times. However, that’s exactly what makes him one of the best-kept secrets on this team.
Despite his lack of statistical production, Wormley was actually quite good when called upon last year. The big, long defensive lineman earned a more than respectable 80.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus last season. What makes him so valuable to the team is that he could be a quality starter as a 5-technique if the Steelers were to suffer a major injury to either Stephon Tuitt or Cameron Heyward.
Though he tested as an elite athlete coming into the NFL back in 2017, he doesn’t quite play up to his athletic traits. Still, Wormley has earned quality grades over the past three seasons and can be one of the better backup interior defensive linemen in the NFL in 2021. For a team that relies so heavily on their defense, he’s more valuable than you might think.
There are other players who could come out of nowhere to surprise us in 2021, but these four are Pittsburgh’s best-kept secrets entering the season. Keep an eye on them at Steelers training camp this year.