There have been a bunch of talented players that have gotten overlooked for the Steelers and some fans may have forgotten these names.
The Steelers have been able to cycle through many talented players over their history. Replacing talent with other talent is something that this franchise has been able to be successful at for a while now. Many different players have gone into the abyss of forgotten names as time passed on.
There have been many interesting names that fans have become numb to with so many franchise-altering talents coming through the door. The starters that only stick around for a while will be the names showing up on this list. They had mixed careers in Pittsburgh before they moved on in the NFL.
Honorable mentions
Jacoby Jones, Returner
Jacoby Jones was a big help with the Baltimore Ravens as their main return-man during his stint there. He carved out a nice NFL career and he even changed sides in the AFC North rivalry by switching to the Steelers. He did not do much of anything during his short time in the Steel City, but he is someone that the fans might not remember.
Aaron Smith
Aaron Smith was a huge part of the defensive line for this team during his time here in the 2000s. He was a dominant force that got overlooked a lot of the time since he played alongside Casey Hampton, Brett Keisel, Chris Hoke, and many others. Smith did have some injury issues during his career, but he was a deadly force on the football field that was consistently overlooked during his career.
Ron Shanklin
Ron Shanklin was a relatively unknown name during the young and upcoming team. He was one of the team’s best receivers for the Steelers through the first half of the1970’s. He was able to provide an extra spark to the Black and Gold’s offensive air attack. He had a very short career that saw him get a Pro Bowl selection in 1973. He was the first weapon for the team before Lynn Swann and John Stallworth were drafted.
LeGarrette Blount, Running back
LeGarrette Blount joined the Steelers as an expected second option in the running back room for the team. The club had a high-powered offensive attack that catapulted them into Super Bowl contention status. The addition of Blount was expected to allow Le’Veon Bell a chance to take a few reps to take a breather.
This was a cheap signing that seemed to be a potential win-win for both sides. This opportunity would allow Blount to come in and take care of crunch time, while Bell took the bulk of the snaps. The issue became that this player did not like being second fiddle to Bell and wanted more chances to carry the ball in this offense.
There were also some off-the-field issues that occurred and really stretched the marriage between player and team to its limits. The situation got worse as time continued to progress and finally things came to a head when the player gave up on his team.
He walked off the field while a game was still going on, leaving his teammates behind. He was outspoken about his issues with Pittsburgh and their lack of options to get him onto the field. Blount would be released from the team soon after this happened. He would go back to the New England Patriots and continue his career there.
Lance Moore, Wide receiver
Lance Moore joined the Steelers during their offensive onslaught era in the 2010s. He didn’t last long here, but at the time of his signing, many thought he would fit well. He was a veteran receiver that could play in the slot and elsewhere coming from the New Orleans Saints.
He had a great connection with Drew Brees so many thought that would transfer over to Ben Roethlisberger. That was not the case as the team struggled to find a role for this player. He was a trooper and never complained, but he seemed to understand his role diminished with the amount of talent on this roster at the time.
There were a ton of talented and upcoming receivers that were starting to form one of the better trios in the NFL. Antonio Brown was the best receiver in football and began to continue his dominant trend. Martavis Bryant also broke onto the scene and took many snaps away from Moore. Marcus Wheaton was also on the team and demanded throws in his direction as well.
This veteran was not in Pittsburgh for long as he only lasted with the team for one season. He departed the team after 2014 and went on to play for another three years in the league. He had a long career that had good success, but his time in the Steel City was not his best time.
Jonathan Dwyer, Running back
Jonathan Dwyer was an on-again and off-again starter for the Steelers for a few seasons in the 2010s. He was platooned with Isaac Redman for a while; they were a starting duo for a while before Le’Veon Bell was brought in. He wasn’t the best overall player, but he did the job when his name was called upon.
His best season came in 2012 before he slowly lost relevancy over the years here. Bell was drafted in 2013 and that is when Dwyer was not able to stay on the field. he was relegated to a depth role and that turned his career downhill.
His time with Pittsburgh would come to an end soon after Bell joined the club and really broke onto the scene as one of the best running backs in the NFL. Dwyer would decide to go onto another team and sign with the Arizona Cardinals as a free agent. He would only last a couple of months there before he would be out of the league.
This running back was arrested on domestic violence charges in his short stint with the Cardinals. He would not stick with the team and his career came to an end. He was a stopgap running back that started for this team for a little bit before he committed a heinous act and was rightfully booted out of the NFL.
Hardy Nickerson, Linebacker
Hardy Nickerson was a good linebacker during his time as the starter for the Steelers defense. He played six seasons with Pittsburgh, starting in five of them. He was able to become a constant force for that team that consistently made major tackles.
His time in the Steel City showed his promise as a young player before he would move on to his next team. He was one of the top tacklers for the black and gold during his time here but was overshadowed by his teammates. He was a big force on some of the dominating defenses in the 1990s that jumped on the field.
This linebacker did not stick with the team and would move onto Tampa Bay. The best seasons of his career were down in Florida, and he got some individual recognition during his time as a Buccaneer. He was elected to the Pro Bowl five times and as an All-pro three times during his seven years in Tampa.
Nickerson would have a great career in the NFL that saw him play 16 seasons in the league with four different clubs. Those franchises included Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville Jaguars, and a very short stint with the Green Bay Packers. He was a great player that played well for the Steelers, but he really took off once he moved on from the team.
Bam Morris, Running back
Byron “Bam” Morris is one of the forgotten players for the Steelers during their Super Bowl run in the 90s. He was the second back behind Barry Foster that created one of the best duos in the NFL. He was a tank that ran down the field to punish those that dared to get in his way.
This player was someone that gave the fans a taste of hard-nosed football before Jerome Bettis got to Pittsburgh. Bettis would soon join the team a couple of years after Morris would depart the club. He had some great seasons despite having to be the second-string back behind Foster.
Only after two seasons with the black and gold, he would end up with the Baltimore Ravens, where he continued a solid career. He put up respectable numbers despite not starting more than 38 games during his career. He was able to have a successful bruising career as a bulldozer.
His run style was something that shortens a shelf life for a player. Morris only lasted seven years in the NFL with four teams that included the Steelers, Ravens, Chiefs, and Bears. This back was also able to total over 3,800 rushing yards and 35 rushing touchdowns as well.
Tommy Maddox, Quarterback
Tommy Maddox had an up and down era as the starter for the Steelers before it came to a halt. Ben Roethlisberger would be drafted and enter a game after Maddox got injured and the rest is history. Despite his windy road of making it to the NFL as a starting quarterback, he had a mixed career.
His story started off by going in the first round of the 1992 draft by the Denver Broncos. It was a very slow start to his career, and he quickly became a bust as he only started four games over the first four seasons of his career. Maddox would be out of the NFL for about five years as he tried to get back to the league in between those years.
He would play in the Area Football League and then the XFL, where he was voted the MVP that season. That caught the attention of Pittsburgh enough for them to bring him in and give him a legit shot at winning the starting spot. He would join the team in 2001 and would win the comeback player of the year award.
Unfortunately for Maddox, his career started fizzling out after that season. He started turning the football over even more and lacked consistency. The team eventually got into a position to draft a franchise-altering quarterback to replace him. He would back up Roethlisberger for a couple of seasons before he retired.
The Steelers have many players that could be on this list. Many starters have come and gone in the recent history of this franchise.