As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted to take some time to express my gratefulness for the Steelers. A fan of them since I was little, and this team has provided me with countless memories. I hope to share this fandom with my own kids in the future.
That said, there are quite a few things that I am not thankful for on this Steelers roster as it sits. While this team has found a way to win, which is the most important part of a successful team, they are still a poor-performing unit that is hard to get excited about.
I have compiled my four biggest turkeys on the current Steelers roster. These are my own opinions, naturally, and I have them listed as so due to how they have performed for the team as well as what their long-term impact may end up being for this team. Here are the four Steelers I am not thankful for this holiday season.
Some Steelers biggest turkey honorable mentions
I specifically wanted to focus on players on the team for this post, but there are certainly some names that also deserve to be criticized. Matt Canada, despite a small turnaround, has still called a lot of poor games and has been a bad fit as a modern offensive coordinator. That was rectified when the Steelers cut him loose this week.
While no longer on this roster, I have to shout out Gunner Olszewski. I’m not sure there has been a worse tenure with this team. He was ineffective when he touched the ball, and this season in particular he proved to be a turnover machine. I wish him all of the best, but it was hard to watch him on this roster.
Finally, while I don’t believe he is a horrible coach, I have become less thankful for Mike Tomlin over the years. The standard for success of this team has dipped, and if that doesn’t change there needs to be consequences. Beyond those quick honorable mentions though, here is the rest of my list of the biggest turkeys on the Steelers roster.
Steelers Biggest Turkey #4: Chandon Sullivan
The Steelers signed Chandon Sullivan shortly after the draft as they had no one definite to play in the slot. Sullivan was a safe, albeit middling, option. He had experience and some strong play a few seasons ago, but he was nothing more than a below-average option for this defense.
The team has relied on him so far this season, as he has been the primary slot cornerback at times. The results haven’t been pretty, as Sullivan has consistently been picked on by opposing defenses. While a willing run defender, he isn’t an overly physical presence on this defense either, making him a liability there as well.
With his coverage and run defense below the bar, it has left many wondering just what is Sullivan’s purpose on this defense. With Patrick Peterson moving around more, we are seeing some of Sullivan’s passing snaps diminish. Elijah Riley finally got a crack on defense and did well against the Packers. Sullivan’s days as a run defender could be limited.
While certainly not a player I am thankful for, Sullivan is so low on this list given the little long-term impact he will have on this team. More than likely, he won’t be back a year from now, so the team isn’t strapped to him beyond the current season. That said, his poor performance has certainly made me unthankful for his services with the team.
Steelers Biggest Turkey #3: Chukwuma Okorafor
The Chukwuma Okorafor saga in Pittsburgh has been a weird one. Taken as a developmental player in the third round, things looked grim when he couldn’t land a starting role over Zach Banner. Injuries eventually allowed him onto the field, and he has become the standard of what a slightly below-average tackle looks like in the NFL.
His play has naturally progressed since entering the league, but he seems to have capped out as a very steady option for a team. You aren’t going to get a lot of variance in his play. He won’t have stretches of horrible play, but he also lacks the dominance you would want in a tackle.
The reason he gets on this list is due to his salary. He is currently on his second contract, and tackles, even middling ones, aren’t cheap. He has an average salary of close to ten million a season and a cap hit of over 13 million this season. That is a lot of money invested in a player who struggles to be average as a blocker.
His comments during the Jaguars game seemingly sent him to the bench. The strong play of rookie Broderick Jones will likely keep him there. Thankfully, his contract is easy to get out of, so the team won’t be stuck with him past this season. That said, the return on investment hasn’t been great and his play has never been better than average.
Steelers Biggest Turkey #2: Levi Wallace
The Steelers inked Levi Wallace to a small deal an offseason ago in the hopes of adding a steady veteran to the backfield. He held up his end of the bargain in year one. While not the flashiest player, he was a viable starter and had a career season with the team. The hope was for similar play this season until Joey Porter was ready to take over.
Thankfully, Porter has been ready to see the field sooner than later, as Wallace has been a disaster as a starting cornerback this season. He has been the culprit of the majority of coverage lapses, and he went from a dependable starter to someone who is getting picked on every week. Never known for his speed, he usually made up for it with sound technique and anticipation. That hasn’t been the case this season.
Even in a reduced role, Wallace is still finding ways to hurt this defense. As was evident against the Packers, one of the first games since his demotion in favor of Porter, Wallace allowed both of the passing touchdowns. He went from an above-average defender a season ago to looking lost this season.
While Wallace is a free agent after this season and will more than likely be allowed to leave, his detrimental play this season has been hard to suffer through. The defense as a whole has been a letdown, but Wallace has been one of the biggest disappointments. Expectations were never extremely high, but he has been nothing but a liability so far this season.
Steelers Biggest Turkey #1: Kenny Pickett
I will be the first to say I am very scared of what Kenny Pickett could do to this team. He was taken in the first round with the hopes of keeping this team trending as competitors, but that hasn’t been the case. I wasn’t overly high on him coming out of school, and his play so far has been even worse than I expected.
While many are quick to lump all of the offensive blame on coaching, that simply isn’t the case. Pickett has been pretty bad this season, and while has had the occasional drive that inspires hope, he mixes that in with poor accuracy, an inability to progress through reads, and an absolutely horrible pocket presence, all things that a “pro ready” quarterback should be able to do.
No, he hasn’t been the worst performer on this list, but he arguably has the worst long-term outlook for this team. Assuming he continues on this path, he will be the awkward quarterback who expects to get paid yet isn’t a great franchise player. Daniel Jones, Derek Carr, and Jimmy Garoppolo come to mind as recent examples.
Pickett hasn’t looked like a complete bust, but his overall play also lacks the consistency to elevate this offense. Fans are quick to defend him given the fact he played college football at Pitt, and while I expect him to still have some good moments, I don’t think it will be enough to make him a true game-changer.
Unless he completely flames out, this team will also likely be too stubborn to admit they were wrong about him. It isn’t out of the question to see him get his option picked up when eligible and even get an extension. Those rarely work out and limit the team’s ability to spend elsewhere. All of these reasons are why I see Pickett as the current biggest turkey on the roster.
While the Steelers have found a way to win this season, there are still a lot of issues on their team. While the Thanksgiving holiday is centered around being thankful for things, these four Steelers are certainly players that I am not thankful to have around this holiday season.