The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New Orleans Saints in Week 7 in Mike Tomlin fashion—a low-scoring smash-mouth slugfest. But despite the one-score victory and the fact that Mike McCarthy's team put up just 16 points in the win, there's a lot to be encouraged by.
A collection of young players are playing the best football of their careers and stacking up excellent performances. This should give fans hope and optimism not just for the remainder of the 2026 season but beyond.
Unfortunately, several pivotal players took a notable step back in Week 7, and their performances leave much to be desired. As we gear up for Week 8, these Steelers have seen their stock rise or fall most significantly.
Pittsburgh Steelers' stock report entering Week 8 highlights key risers and fallers
Rising: Keeanu Benton
If Steelers fans had questions about the Keeanu Benton contract extension before the start of the season, those should now be put to bed. Benton is coming off a remarkable performance in Paris against the Saints, as the 2023 second-round pick showcased how dominant he can be when he's dialed in as a run defender.
On 34 total defensive snaps, Benton was credited with two run stops and a pair of pressures, while also batting down a pass. The 25-year-old caused a ton of disruption in Week 7, and at $18 million per year, this is already shaping up to be a steal for the Steelers.
Since his poor performance on Thursday Night Football against Cleveland in Week 4, Benton has improved each week and is coming off one of the best overall performances of his career.
Rising: Payton Wilson
Speaking of players stacking impressive performances, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Payton Wilson as one of the biggest stock risers this week. Wilson was spectacular in Week 7 against the Saints—crashing downhill to the ball in run support while showing off the coverage chops he can bring at his best.
Wilson's top play was a diving interception while covering star receiver Chris Olave. It may have taken until nearly halfway through his third NFL season, but Wilson is playing the best football of his NFL career, and he's been a tremendous asset to the defense in recent weeks.
Rising: Jaylen Warren
This doesn't need much explanation. For the past five weeks, Warren has consistently been among the best running backs in the NFL. The veteran back possesses incredible contact balance, ball-carrier vision, burst, and receiving chops.
Warren had another 100-yard performance in Week 7—his third of the season—and he's now on a 17-game pace to record over 1,300 rushing yards and over 700 receiving yards (which would top 2,000 scrimmage yards). He's been the team MVP so far.
Rising: Mason McCormick
We talk so much about what Jaylen Warren has done on the ground (and rightfully so), but let's give some credit to the big guys up front. Center Zach Frazier has firmly established himself as one of the best in the league at this position, but Mason McCormick could soon be joining him in the ranks.
McCormick is the 'Energizer Bunny' of the Steelers' offensive line, with unmatched effort and tenacity. He finishes every rep like it's his last in the league. Though he had an up-and-down performance against the Buccaneers in Week 6, he bounced back with an excellent showing in Week 7 (even with the costly personal foul penalty).
McCormick has been a road grader on the ground and is steadily improving his consistency in pass protection. He's rising beyond just a quality starter, and if he keeps it up, he could soon be considered among the best rising guards in the NFL.
Falling: Jalen Ramsey
You don't often see a week-to-week contrast quite like what we just witnessed with Jalen Ramsey. Seven days after being named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his fantastic showing against Tampa Bay (including the game-ending sack), Ramsey was the opposite in Paris against the Saints.
The 32-year-old nickel back was picked on early and often by second-year quarterback Tyler Shough. PFF credited Ramsey with allowing 10 receptions on 11 targets in coverage for 127 yards and a touchdown [$]. If not for Ramsey's pedestrian play, the Saints may not have been able to cross midfield against Pittsburgh's 'D' in Week 7.
We hope this is just a one-off from the aging defensive back, but we've hardly ever seen a player fall so fast from one week to the next.
Falling: Troy Fautanu
This is a tad concerning. Troy Fautanu wasn't all bad against the Saints in Week 7. At times, he proved to be a people-mover as a bullying run blocker while offering a handful of nice pass sets. Unfortunately, offensive linemen are often only as good as their 3-4 worst plays—and Fautanu's were pretty ugly.
Fautanu allowed a pair of sacks against edge rusher Chase Young and recorded a pass-block efficiency of just 92.6 percent. This resulted in a dismal 31.4 pass-block grade in true pass sets, per Pro Football Focus advanced data.
The Steelers had high hopes for the 2024 first-round pick, but he seems to have gotten worse over the past three weeks since his strong outing against the Indianapolis Colts.
Falling: Nick Herbig
I'm not hitting the panic button just yet, but I'd be lying if I said I was satisfied with Nick Herbig's overall performance this year. After earning a $100 million contract extension, Steelers fans had high hopes. Unfortunately, Herbig hasn't made his way to the quarterback position often.
Herbig recorded just one pressure on 22 pass-rush snaps in Week 7. This now amounts to just eight pressures over his last six games. Meanwhile, the young pass-rush specialist has already missed eight tackles this season for a dismal missed-tackle rate of 33.3 percent.
We know how good Herbig is capable of playing, and at 25, there's no reason to believe that he suddenly became a worse football player. However, with a $25 million-per-year new-money average, we need to see the young edge rusher step up his game in a hurry.
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