4 Steelers players who deserve more playing time down the stretch

The Pittsburgh Steelers have gotten some impressive performance out of young players in recent weeks. Here are four who deserve more snaps down the stretch.

November 2021 was a month Steelers fans would love to forget, after a four-game winning streak earlier in the year gave Pittsburgh new life, our confidence was immediately shot after Pittsburgh went 1-2-1 in November — their only win coming in a 29-27 victory over the Chicago Bears.

Changes were needed to help get this team back on their feet, and we saw a few of them already. Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13, some unexpected players stepped up to the plate in big moments. After what we’ve seen from them in recent play, these four players have proved that they deserve more snaps down the stretch:

Steelers CB Ahkello Witherspoon

Forget what you’ve seen from Ahkello Witherspoon most of the season. The veteran cornerback could hardly earn a helmet after Pittsburgh acquired him for a fifth-round pick. When he did play, the results weren’t pretty, and he always seemed responsible for allowing a big play.

However, Witherspoon really stepped up his game in Week 13. Instead of once again turning to a struggling James Pierre in the absence of Joe Haden, the Steelers finally trusted Witherspoon in a bigger role. On 92 percent of the snaps, he was phenomenal as the starting left cornerback for Pittsburgh against the Ravens. Witherspoon showed sticky coverage and even got his hands on a ball for what should have been an interception.

With such a strong performance in Week 13 and with a 32-year-old Joe Haden unlikely available again due to a foot injury, Pittsburgh should stick with Witherspoon and see where this goes. Maybe he could give the defense the boost they’ve been missing all along.