The Heroes and Villains of the Steelers' Season: 5 players saving the day, 5 causing mayhem

With the Steelers on a bye this week, I wanted to take a minute to break down the highs and lows of this roster. Expectations were high coming into the season following a strong offseason and preseason showing, but the results haven’t been as good. While this team is 3-2 on the year, their team has lacked a lot of elite play.

We are assessing the hills and valleys of this team in this post, as I want to compile both the five best and worst-playing Steelers through the first five games. While it was easier to find some poor players for this list, some names are deserving of being celebrated. Here are the five best and worst players on the Steelers roster through the bye week.

Steelers fifth best-performing player: Calvin Austin

Finding a fifth-best player was hard for this team, as there have been a lot of disappointing names. While a few rookies have been able to stand out for their solid play, most haven’t seen consistent playing time. Considering I had my concerns about Calvin Austin as he entered his second season, he has certainly surprised.

While he hasn’t been a complete receiver, Austin has done everything that this team needed him to do. From making big plays down the field to getting some yards after the catch, he has provided this team with a different element on offense than what has been there. Add in his solid work as a punt returner and Austin has proven to be a valuable member of this roster so far.