With the Steelers season wrapping up, here are the four best things to have come out of the team’s 2021 season.
The Steelers season has been filled with highs and lows, and with their regular season wrapping up, it seems like a good time to reminisce about how the team was this season. While the team had its fair share of disappointments, there is still plenty of positives to take away from this season. Here are the four best things to have come from the Steelers 2021 season.
Roethlisberger’s last ride with the Steelers
The Steelers have gotten 18 incredible years out of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. There were questions this past offseason as to what the veteran would do, but he was re-signed for one final season. While it has only been reported on recently that he was planning to retire, the way his contract was set up made it pretty obvious that Roethlisberger was set to leave after this season.
While the season hasn’t been perfect, it is nice to see Roethlisberger go out on his own terms. Last year the season was marred by the COVID outbreak. While still an issue this season, he at least got to play his final slate of games in front of a home crowd. He got to deliver one final season in front of a crowd that has rooted for him for so long.
While his play was erratic and the offense was ugly at times, nothing would have changed with a different quarterback. Giving Roethlisberger his final year has been good to see. The team has been lucky to have him for the past 18 seasons and finding his replacement will certainly be difficult. That said, seeing him for one final season has been a positive of this season.
Steelers surprisingly solid players
Every year injuries force players that most didn’t expect to see into significant action. The Steelers have lived by this mantra, proclaiming that their “next man up” is always ready to play with varying success. This season was no different, as a slew of backup players were pushing into key roles.
While most of these players struggled, two really stood out as strong contributors. Zach Gentry was seen as a bust by most fans heading into this offseason. The former fifth-round pick had been unimpressive in limited snaps, but he easily had his best training camp. He followed that up by playing well as a reserve. Since Eric Ebron’s injury, Gentry has been a stable backup and quality blocker. He has become a staple of this offense and should be a great number two option moving forward.
The big surprise this season was Chris Wormley. The veteran was brought back on a surprising deal but has been key with both Tyson Alualu and Stephon Tuitt not playing for most of the season. He has come into his own as a starter and has been a steady pass-rushing presence on this line. The team even has him on the books for another season. Wormley and Gentry both have been great stories this season, as they have blown their expectations out of the water.
Johnson’s bounce-back campaign for the Steelers
One of the most disappointing players from the 2020 season was Diontae Johnson. While the then-sophomore thrived with the ball in his hands, he struggled to get to that point on the offense. His drop issues were well noted, as he could never consistently bring the ball in. This was killer for the offense, as Roethlisberger naturally wanted to get the ball into the talented playmakers’ hands, but the consistency led to drives ending.
This season has been essentially the opposite of what transpired last season. Johnson has become the key receiver that he has the potential to be. With injuries and lacking depth at receiver, Johnson has become the lynchpin of this offense. His hands have rebounded from a disappointing 2020 campaign, and now Johnson is easily the best receiver on this roster.
Some have argued that Johnson was a Pro Bowl snub this season, as his personal stats rivaled that of others that actually made it. At this point, one has to wonder if Johnson ends up getting a new deal this offseason. He has easily been the team’s best receiver every week and without him, this offense would have lacked any explosion. Seeing him rebound has been a great aspect despite the offensive struggles in 2021.
Steelers impressive rookie class
While the expectation was for the Steelers rookie class to see playing time, no one expected the rookies to be playing this much in 2021. While the top three picks were expected to start, or in the case of Pat Freiermuth, split snaps with Ebron, but the team has seen significant contributions from all but one of their rookies.
Najee Harris has been about as advertised while Freiermuth has ascended into the upper tier of young tight ends. Dan Moore has been a shock, as the fourth-round pick has had his ups and downs earlier in the season but has become one of the more stable linemen in recent weeks. Even Isaiahh Loudermilk and Tre Norwood have been seeing the defensive field more than anyone expected.
It hasn’t all been great granted. Pressley Harvin has been inconsistent as a punter and Kendrick Green has seemingly fallen off a cliff. As the season has gone on Green has continued to prove that he is a weak spot on the line. Even with the struggles from the rookies, getting them playing time will improve their odds of developing. The early results of this class of been overall positive and there are players well worth developing from this group.
The Steelers have had their fair share of positives and negatives from this season. That said, these four aspects have been great storylines to follow from this season. These four turns of events have easily been the best aspects of the Steelers 2021 season.