Even though the Steelers have not held a losing record since the early portions of the season, they have struggled. One way or another Pittsburgh has been able to win football games that they did not have much business in succeeding at. Matt Canada is finally gone as the offensive coordinator for the club, and that will help plenty of the players on this squad.
The black and gold saw plenty of players struggle to start their campaign. Some of those players are still in the doghouse as they can not find quality reps this year yet. Others who have not been solid to start the season have found different ways to turn their performances around. There are plenty of games left to be played, but these players are starting to show their worth.
Elandon Roberts has thrived as the top linebacker for the Steelers
Many things could have gone wrong after the losses of Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander in back-to-back weeks. Those two starting-caliber linebackers for the defense were quickly lost for the remainder of the season in a quick period. A position that seemed deep with talent quickly turned into a spot on defense that could be considered a weak point.
Elandon Roberts was tasked with stepping up in the top linebacker role on defense. He has done a surprisingly good job thus far. It's not that Roberts wasn't playing well earlier in the season as much as he did not get much playing time before the injuries started to pile up. He is starting to exceed the expectations that were laid out for him when he got the nod.
Mykal Walker also deserves a shoutout as he has been good since joining the Steelers' starting rotation at linebacker. Roberts is still the star of the show as he refuses to miss tackles and makes sure that people know when he hits them. Coverage remains a concern in his game moving forward, but Roberts has been great at filling in for the starting role.
Darnell Washington is starting to get caught up to the speed of the NFL
It's hard to stand out when your offense is almost dead last in every statistical category in the NFL. Darnell Washington was seen as a steal this past spring during the 2023 NFL Draft after the Steelers took him late in the third round. He has some work to accomplish in his game, but he is a physical freak who prides himself on his blocking ability.
Pat Freiermuth has been dealing with injuries on and off this season, and that allowed Washington to get more snaps on offense. Not much has happened in terms of his role as a pass-catching option for Pittsburgh yet. He got some opportunities to this point of the season, but Washington still needs more chances in that regard.
Broderick Jones is now the starting right tackle on the offensive line for the Steelers. That has boosted the black-and-gold play in the trenches over the past several weeks. Washington has routinely found different ways to attack players that line up across from him. Plenty of pancake blocks and throwing players aside have been witnessed.
Freiermuth is now back and the opportunities going to someone like Washington in the passing game are going to be even more limited. Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff might not give him many chances there, but they seem confident in his blocking skills. Keep an eye on Washington to keep an expanding role to close out his rookie season.
Mason Cole still isn't perfect for Pittsburgh, but he has improved
Not everything goes to plan when you chalk certain things up as a potential success. The offensive line for the Steelers was seen as a group that had depth and improved over the offseason. Pittsburgh needed to upgrade that area of their team to get their run game moving in the right direction. Most thought that did happen and that the group would be solid.
Sadly, they had a terrible start to the year and struggled for a while. Just like last season, it seemed like a portion of the year needed to be a period of getting acclimated across the trenches for the black and gold. The group as a whole has rebounded in the past several weeks, which was kickstarted by Broderick Jones taking over as the starter at right tackle.
Jones has seemingly boosted that group to new heights and that includes someone like Mason Cole. He could still be on his way out of Pittsburgh after this season concludes, but he has improved since his slow start. He was one of the worst starting centers in the NFL to begin the season, but he has slowly been able to get better in recent weeks.
Cole is playing for his job in Pittsburgh right now, and he has to show some quality snaps moving forward. The Steelers will have no other choice than to look at center upgrades unless Cole knocks their socks off to conclude the remainder of this season. He has gotten better overall, but he should be able to get to another level if he wants to remain the starting center.
Patrick Peterson is finally starting to look comfortable this season
A lot of blame was placed on the starting cornerbacks for the Steelers during the first half of the season. Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace were the starting duo on the outside on defense, and that was terrible to witness. Both consistently got beat every week. No offense of the opponents struggled to pass the ball on the black and gold.
Wallace remains almost unplayable, and neither started the season well. Something has changed for Patrick Peterson since Joey Porter Jr. finally got the nod to start games. It's almost like the Broderick Jones effect that he had on the offensive line. Instead, Porter has been able to balance out a secondary that has struggled with injuries over the past month or so.
Peterson is old now for a starting cornerback in the NFL, and he will not be getting any faster. It seems like Tomlin has finally accepted the fact that rookies need to be infused into the starting lineup to provide speed and skill. Their inexperience could bite you at times, but it also allows for others to move around the lineup and be effective elsewhere.
That is where a veteran cornerback like Peterson has come in handy. It was teased throughout the pre-season process that he would get playing time in a variety of roles on defense. That did not happen until a handful of weeks ago. Peterson has been getting better ever since Tomlin started to move him around and accept more rookies into the starting lineup.
Najee Harris has been able to rebound with a resurgence in the Steelers run game
Other than Kenny Pickett and Matt Canada, there probably hasn't been a more player under fire than Najee Harris. The offensive line hasn't played well during the early portions of the season but they seem to be turning the corner for good right now. Jaylen Warren has been the better back between him and Harris.
That trend has caused a power struggle of snaps between Warren and Harris as the year has progressed. The Steelers seem to be desperate for Harris to prove himself as the top back, but the opposite has occurred to this point. Warren is a more direct runner and finds different ways to make plays. He finds room and doesn't hesitate to hit a hole.
As the offensive line improvements have become more evident so has the run game for the Steelers offense. Pittsburgh has been able to lean on Warren to find some holes up front and for Harris to help contribute late in games as a power back. Both play roles on offense and it seems like they are buying into the duo situation for now.
Harris is a former first-round pick at the end of the day, and the has not lived up to that billing recently. It seems like Pittsburgh should have gone in a different direction when Harris was chosen in the first round, especially after Warren emerged as an undrafted free agent. Harris is starting to play better as a complimentary piece. The Steelers might have something here.