The NFL offseason is continuing to churn along, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing to make some major changes to their roster. With ample cap space in free agency and a healthy amount of draft picks to work with, this team is set up for a busy offseason.
Part of this process will be figuring out who on the team will be here to help the roster long-term and who no longer can help out. This roster is filled with lacking options, and some of those issues come from former draft picks.
While being a bust is a hard definition to pin down with players being drafted for different roles, some former draft picks have solidified that status after 2024. They didn’t live up to expectations, and now, the Steelers will try to replace them in the offseason.
Pittsburgh Steelers who cemented themselves as busts in 2024
Connor Heyward, TE
I was extremely optimistic that Connor Heyward was primed for his best season since being drafted by the Steelers. Arthur Smith runs a very tight end-heavy scheme, and he also loves using a fullback. Heyward seemed like a perfect fit to fill that role.
Instead, he struggled to see snaps over MyCole Pruitt as the third tight end, and his on-the-field production tanked. He easily posted his worst season as a pro, mustering only 40 receiving yards. He also wasn’t used in the backfield for the first time as a pro.
It seems like the team wanted to use him in less dynamic ways this year, and in the end, it hurt him. The best way to maximize Heyward’s ability is by letting him be a Swiss army knife. Playing him only as a tight end is hurting his potential.
To be fair, he is still a core special teams player, and as a sixth-round pick the expectations were never sky-high. That said, the hope of Heyward becoming a weapon on offense is dead. Depending on how the Steelers address the room, he could even be cut in after training camp.
DeMarvin Leal, DL
Things looked bleak for DeMarvin Leal after his rookie season. Drafted as a defensive lineman, the Steelers have struggled to figure out what Leal does best. They’ve tried him as an end, an edge rusher, and as an interior pass rusher, but nothing seemed to stick.
It looked like he was on the roster bubble this past year, but he carved out a role as the fourth-edge rusher initially. He wasn’t seeing a lot of playing time before he was eventually injured and lost for the season. He doesn’t contribute much on special teams either.
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The defensive line room is poised to be rebuilt this offseason, so his time along the line seems to be over. He could stick as a backup edge rusher, but there are a few other options there, and typically the Steelers want their depth linebackers to play special teams.
Even if he makes the roster next year, Leal hasn’t lived up to the billing of a former third-round pick. That said, I fully expect him to either be traded for next to nothing or be cut once training camp wraps up later this year.
Najee Harris, RB
While Najee Harris produced some decent stats over his four years in Pittsburgh, he failed to ever live up to the hype that a first-round running back has. Yes, he was the primary starter for all four years here and he rushed for over 1000 yards in each season, but his actual impact was muted.
For starters, 1000 rushing yards in a 17-game season isn’t the accomplishment that it used to be. Beyond that, Harris compiled those stats because of usage and less so by efficiency. He was your classic plodder who failed to produce anything on his own.
Now, Harris isn’t a conventional bust, but you expect a lot more out of a first-round pick. You got four very average seasons out of him, similar to what you got out of Terrell Edmunds a few years ago. Neither flamed out, but neither were great players either.
Now, Harris will likely find a new home in free agency following four mediocre years here. He can try to show that the issue was with the Steelers scheme, not his own talent level. That said, he never became the top running back Pittsburgh needed him to be, and he cements himself as a bust because of that.