As the Steelers begin drafting up their offseason plans, they have quite a few players under contract that they can’t currently count on to be starters.
Every NFL team has surprise players that go from back-of-the-roster players to starters over the course of an offseason. The Steelers are no exception to this type of story, as they have seen the likes of Mike Hilton go from unknown to an impact player over the course of a single offseason. That said, these types of stories are rare, especially when the player in question actually works out long-term.
This leads fans to overvalue some players on their own roster. With the team compiling their needs and looking at ways to address them, some fans seem to think certain positions are just plug-and-play with what they currently have on the roster. Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy.
Here are four players the Steelers shouldn’t be counting on in 2023.
Steelers need a punter competition
The Steelers have seen some extreme highs and lows out of Pressley Harvin so far in his career. For every great punt, there has been an equally poor showing that put the defense in a tough position. While I do think Harvin got more consistent as the season went on, he needs some actual competition in 2023.
The team failed to do that last season, essentially handing Harvin the starting gig. He needs some actual competition though to keep him moving in the right direction. Either he rises to the occasion and shakes out the inconsistencies or he gets replaced. The team can’t have the highs and lows in their punting game again this season.
Steelers shouldn’t be starting DeMarvin Leal
A player who really came into their own over the course of the last season, DeMarvin Leal is a great athlete who is developing as a pass rusher. That said, the team really shouldn’t be trying to make him a traditional defensive end for this defense. He isn’t a great run-stopper, and with the shift to a more sub-package-focused defense, Leal should have a different role.
Instead of being a traditional starter, Leal makes a lot of sense as a pass-rushing interior defender in nickel and dime defense. There, he can use his quick first step and developing array of moves to apply pressure to the quarterback as opposed to getting washed out of run plays. It plays better to his strengths as a player.
Some people seem keen on using him as a base end and having him play 80% of the defensive snaps, and that just seems like a mistake. Put him in the best position to succeed heading into his second year as opposed to a traditional end. He shouldn’t be counted on as an every-down starter yet.
Mark Robinson hasn’t shown enough for the Steelers
A name that surprised everyone last season, Mark Robinson was, on paper, a longshot to be on this team. His newness to the linebacker position mixed in with his lack of size likely meant a learning curve. Instead, he was a preseason standout and earned a spot on the roster outright as a rookie.
Playing time was a lot harder to come by, as he didn’t see significant action until later in the season. While he flashed some highs and lows, there isn’t enough film on him to say if he can be counted on to start next season. This is why I was so adamant about him seeing the field sooner. Since it took him a while though, we don’t know what we have in him yet.
While I would love to see Robinson lockdown one of the linebacker spots given just how bad this group is on paper, he can’t be counted on quite yet to take on that role. Instead, this team will need to bring another two capable players into camp and have the trio fight it out for the two starting spots. While Robinson may very well end up starting, it is too early to count on him taking on that role.
Steelers can’t rely on Calvin Austin right now
Of all the names on this list, the one fans seem way too confident in is Calvin Austin. Every time I see someone post about the Steelers needing a receiver, there are a handful of people that claim this position is fine because Austin is set to make his NFL debut in 2023. While I was high on the speedy rookie, he has to earn playing time at this point.
Austin flashed in practice before a foot injury shut him down for the year. Add in the fact that he was only a fourth-round pick, and Austin isn’t locked into some sort of a starting role right now. Like Robinson, he can easily earn that, but saying that receiver is fine because Austin can come in and start there is a major overstatement.
This team still needs to fill out this receiver room. A veteran and rookie would help strengthen this depth chart overall. That doesn’t mean Austin won’t earn a role. Ideally, he does, but claiming that his being on this roster means the Steelers don’t need to address the position is silly given just how shallow this receiver room was in 2022.
With the Steelers making their game plan now as to how they will attack the offseason, it is important to have realistic expectations for who is on the roster. While having a name like Robinson or Austin become a starter, we can’t count on that yet, and the Steelers need to be ready to accommodate with a different player in case.