4 Steelers players who deserve more playing time down the stretch

Steelers TE Zach Gentry

It’s hard to argue against Zach Gentry seeing more playing time for the Steelers moving forward. In a limited role this year as a blocking tight end, Gentry has helped give the running game a spark and still proved to be a reliable, massive target for Ben Roethlisberger in the passing game.

Though Gentry isn’t a great athlete, he makes up for it with his remarkable size (6’8”, 265 lbs) and strength to hold up in-line. Essentially, Gentry can act as an extra offensive tackle who can also find the soft spot in the zone to move the chains through the air.

Gentry has seen an uptick in snaps as Eric Ebron nurses an injury. However, even if Ebron is ready to go soon, I think Gentry has done enough to supplant him as the team’s second tight end behind Pat Freiermuth. Zach Gentry isn’t a flashy player to watch, but he has done more than enough to carve out a larger role for this team down the stretch.

It’s nice to see some young players rise to the occasion when the Steelers need them most. Trusting these four players in larger roles over the final games of the 2021 season could prove to give Pittsburgh the boost they’ve been searching for.