The Steelers are a young team that will be looking to take a step forward this season.
The Steelers are a fresh team entering the 2022 season. Most of the old guard is gone and now this club is full of young talent. Youth means that players are usually either inexperienced or unproven in the NFL, but that is not always a bad thing.
Pittsburgh decided to take a gamble on certain positions. That gamble could either pay off or come back to bite them. It should be a fun season as these players go out there and try to prove themselves each week.
An active offseason has made this team what it is. There are new faces at key positions like quarterback, offensive line, cornerback, and other places as well. There are some other young talents that are returning from last year that will have expanded roles on this team that should take a step forward.
Ahkello Witherspoon should be the Steelers number one cornerback
Ahkello Witherspoon was traded to the Steelers from the Seattle Seahawks right as the regular season was starting up last year. It took some time for him to grasp the defense and acclimate to his new club. He eventually got a shot to start for the defense after different injuries and circumstances arose. This cornerback was able to take advantage of that opportunity.
His play while starting down the stretch for this defense was nothing short of amazing. Witherspoon was one of the best-graded corners in the game of football during that time. He will be the number one corner on this team as Pittsburgh hopes that he will be able to keep that production up through an entire season.
Chase Claypool needs to have a bounce-back year for the Steelers
Chase Claypool has gone under the microscope by many fans after a disappointing 2021 season. For whatever reason, he was just not able to produce at the level as his rookie campaign. Perhaps the quarterback play was not the strongest, or maybe it was the dreaded sophomore slump that many talk about.
No matter what happened, this is going to be a big year for Claypool as he looks to bring back his rookie form, or perhaps show a better outing. He has all the tools that every coach is looking for in a receiver today. He is fast and has size that should allow him to make tough contested catches.
The receiving group on the roster has some fresh faces in the group and that could mean a new role with the club. Claypool has been the other outside option opposite Diontae Johnson since entering the NFL. The Steelers might decide to look elsewhere when it comes to where he is deployed.
George Pickens will challenge for the opening at the outside receiver spot, but Claypool might be going somewhere else anyways. The slot role for him might be too good of a mismatch to pass up on. His size and speed could be too much for smaller corners to handle and Pittsburgh might give that experiment a long look.
Alex Highsmith should have a breakout performance on defense
Alex Highsmith will be entering his second season as being the full-time starter opposite of T.J. Watt. He did well last year and held his own, while his partner went on to make a historic season seem effortless. Many still hold higher expectations for this player and what he could do in the stat department.
Year three during someone’s career is vital to see where they are at in their development. Most of the time they have a rookie year to get a feeling out process. Their second season is more geared towards giving them the bigger role and seeing what they can do with it. Year three is where you can tell where a player is going to survive in the NFL or thrive.
This player came from a small college in Charlotte. He has done well in most of the instances that he has played. His role with the Steelers defense has grown quickly and he has handled that adversity well. Highsmith will look to have his best season yet during the upcoming schedule.
Watt seems like the only real issue with this linebacker to get to his goal of ten sacks or more this time around. That does not seem too lofty of a goal as the defense has been able to handle two edge rushers getting to that mark recently with Bud Dupree in town. This is a young talented player that should hit that mark, or at least close to it.
Dan Moore Jr. and the offensive line should improve for the Steelers
Dan Moore Jr. will be returning to the Steelers in his second year as the starter at left tackle. Many thought that maybe the club would look at different options outside the organization to help upgrade either tackle spot. The team neglected that and instead, brought back both of last season’s starters.
Make no mistake, this is not the same offensive line as last year. The interior of this group is almost completely different. James Daniels and Mason Cole are both veteran players that should be better suited for the jobs for those that they are replacing. This line now has the financial investment in it for hopeful improvement.
There has been scrutiny for both Moore during his rookie season and Chuks Okorafor. It seems like they will be the long-term tackles for Pittsburgh unless they really underperform. Both are still young and should have their best days of professional ball in front of them. This will be a big year for both of them.
Moore is a player that had an up-and-down rookie campaign. He started off rocky but really started to put things together towards the last handful of games. He played well enough to get the starting gig again as he should take another positive step forward in 2022.
The Steelers should be able to make some improvements in certain areas on this club after upgrading over the offseason. They have a young roster that should improve as the season progresses.