Steelers starters who will make us the most nervous each game in 2022
By Tommy Jaggi
![Dan Moore Jr. #65 of the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) Dan Moore Jr. #65 of the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Fstillcurtain-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2021-2F08-2F1333880525-850x560-217295b35b711019f2efffb1e3113b3afcd8b5ad29a5a2a780ac5c2b77c6791c.jpg)
The Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of questions surrounding their projected starting lineup in 2022, but these players are sure to make us the most nervous each week.
The 2022 NFL season is just around the corner, and it hardly looks like the Pittsburgh Steelers have everything figured out. With a particularly young roster on the offensive side of the ball, Mike Tomlin’s team is certainly going to go through some growing pains as their starters will be battle-tested early this year.
Some of them will be up to the challenge, but others could fall flat on their faces and hurt Pittsburgh’s chances of going anywhere this season. These are the five starting positions that are sure to make Steelers fans nervous before each game this season.
Steelers LT Dan Moore Jr.
I was totally okay with the Pittsburgh Steelers spending a fourth-round pick on Dan Moore Jr. in the 2021 NFL Draft; however, I thought he really needed to be a swing tackle early in his career. Instead, Moore was thrown into the fire as the team’s starting left tackle as a rookie, and the results weren’t pretty.
In his second training camp and preseason, we all expected the athletic offensive tackle to make a jump in year two. So far, that hasn’t happened. Even though it was just exhibition action, Moore looked the worst I have ever seen him matched up against Josh Allen of the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 of the preseason.
With no other quality options to turn to, Moore will be the starting left tackle for the Steelers this season. There are few positions that are more important in football, so there’s a lot riding on Moore’s performance this year.
Steelers LB Devin Bush
Most fans have been fed up with Devin Bush’s performance on the field for a while now. In any given game this year, it’s easy to predict that he could be the weakest link of an otherwise pretty strong defense.
This certainly isn’t what we want to see from a player the team has invested so much into. Still, it’s possible that Bush could turn things around after turning just 24 years old before Steelers training camp, but he’s going to need to show fans that he can play with instincts and increase his physicality. He’s got a lot to prove in order for fans not to worry about the LB position all season.
Steelers CB Levi Wallace
Levi Wallace is a name that hasn’t gotten mentioned much during the offseason. Wallace was a four-year starter for the Buffalo Bills at cornerback. Since his impressive rookie season, I think his play has slowly decreased over the past few years, and I can see him being one of the weaker links on the defense this season.
Wallace does not have great size or athletic traits in his favor, and his 4.63 speed is more than just a little concerning. He’s a player who could have us pulling our hair out for some of the plays he will give up down the field in 2022. I’m really hoping Wallace can be a serviceable outside CB in nickel and dime, but we shouldn’t get our hopes much higher.
Steelers quarterback
I don’t think that Mitch Trubisky or Kenny Pickett have been disappointing at all, but with so much riding on the quarterback position, fans really don’t have any idea what to expect from them this year. It was initially thought that Trubisky would be the starter heading into the season, but Pickett has made a strong case with his performance during the preseason as a rookie.
Still, I really worry about any QB who has to suffer behind that offensive line, and the results could get ugly at times. Teams live and die by the quarterback position, and I’m hoping neither player is detrimental to the Steelers in 2022.
Grading the Steelers rookie class through the 2022 preseason. light. Trending
There are plenty of other positions and starting players we will have our eyes on this year, but these five are sure to cause an unhealthy level of stress among Steelers fans this season.