Steelers Who Need to Finish Season Strong
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Even with the Pittsburgh Steelers' playoff hopes looking pretty dim, there’s still a lot to play for over the next six weeks.
Whether it be the development of youngsters or the resurgence of struggling veterans, the next month and a half will lay the foundation for the 2023 Steelers. Before heading into the offseason, it’ll be crucial for the organization to figure out exactly what they have on the roster and where their needs lie before entering the free agency and NFL Draft periods.
This is a list of players who need to end on high notes for one reason or another.
Kenny Pickett
Pickett’s inclusion on this list should come as no surprise. After a dreadful first couple of starts against some stiff competition, the rookie signal caller's play has picked up since the bye week.
His performance against the Indianapolis Colts was by far his most steady, complete game in which he played winning football for four straight quarters. That marks three straight outings without a turnover as the rookie’s been able to take better care of the football.
You can make a convincing argument that Pickett’s development, not wins and losses, are the most important thing moving forward for the franchise. As he gains experience, it’ll be increasingly important for the organization to get a feel for both his strengths and weaknesses. While we don’t necessarily know which offensive coordinator will be captaining the ship next season, it’s a guarantee that Pickett will be the guy under center.
Life as a rookie quarterback is tough, as he’s come to find out, but as long as the arrow is pointed in an upward trajectory, there are reasons for optimism.
Devin Bush
The 2019 first-round pick has enjoyed a wild, roller coaster-like career arc. The former top-ten pick is now a part of a three-man platoon alongside Myles Jack and Robert Spillane. While Mike Tomlin has remained hesitant to heap too much praise on him publicly, Bush has quietly played arguably the best football of his career over the past month. That alone makes the final stretch of games extremely important for him as he's an unrestricted free agent in the spring thanks to the Steelers declining his fifth-year option.
Over the past month, Bush has seemed much more willing to aggressively take on blockers at the point of attack and has even had impressive flashes in coverage which has never really been his forte.
Not only is Bush a soon-to-be free agent, but so is Spillane, meaning Pittsburgh will have a decision to make in the offseason.
Smart money says that one of them will likely be back in some capacity, whether as a starter or in some contributing role. If Bush can continue to stack quality performances back to back in December, there's a real shot that he could end up being a priority re-signing for new general manager Omar Khan.
Bush has always been a sure tackler, but those splash plays have been noticeably missing since the start of his rookie career. Finding a way to provide more splash will definitely earn him some more playing time and perhaps some more cash as well, maybe even from the Steelers.
Dan Moore Jr.
If you haven't been paying attention to the mock drafts circulating the web, just about everyone is penning a new left tackle to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of their mocks. The reason for that is that only two NFL tackles have allowed more sacks than Moore has this season (6).
Moore actually played quite well against the Colts after allowing a sack on the Steelers' second drive of the game. There have been signs of improvement, and he's proven that he's at the very least a player that isn't going to completely be overwhelmed against the majority of matchups. However, left tackle just isn't a position that most teams are often willing to settle for good enough because of how important they are to the protection of the franchise.
There are a couple of marque pass rushers left on the docket for Moore which include Carolina's Brian Burns and Cleveland's Myles Garrett. Those are both excellent opportunities for Moore to show that he's capable of being not just the starting left tackle of the present but also of the future.
The Steelers have a lot invested in Kenny Pickett so keeping him upright is of the utmost importance for Moore and the rest of the offensive line. If Moore does struggle down the stretch, that could potentially leave them no choice but to try and acquire an upgrade early in the NFL Draft. But it would be nice if he proved solid enough to make that less of a need and more of a luxury.
Cam Heyward
Heyward's been a foundational rock for the Steelers' defense for the last decade, earning himself All-Pro honors multiple times along the way. While he's still been a wrecking ball in the run game, his pass-rushing numbers have noticeably slipped this season. His sack rate has dropped from 2.0% to 1.3% while his pressure rate has dropped from 10.4% to 7.6% this season.
Heyward has turned it up a bit since the bye week, registering ten pressures and a sack in the past three games which is a positive sign. However, at 33 years of age, it's fair to wonder just how much longer the captain is going to be able to fend off Father Time.
In 2023, Heyward's cap hit will skyrocket to $22.26M, accounting for 10% of the Steelers' available cap space. With other interior defensive lineman such as Larry Ogunjobi, Chris Wormley and Tyson Alualu all set to be free agents in the spring, the Steelers are really relying on Heyward to be an integral part of their front once again next season.
Heyward can use these next six weeks to prove to everyone that he's still got gas left in the tank and can be depended on next season. For a team that currently ranks 28th in NFL in pressure rate, the Steelers could sure use a boost from #97 in the meantime.
Terrell Edmunds
A lot of people can't get over the fact that Terrell Edmunds was over-drafted as a first-round pick back in 2018, but he's turned into a quality starting strong safety over time.
Edmunds has gotten ever so slightly better year after year, and so far, 2022 has been arguably his best.
The safety market is always very unpredictable, and the Steelers were very fortunate that Edmunds didn't have many suitors and eventually found his way back to Pittsburgh on a one-year, team-friendly deal. Edmunds is almost always sound in his assignments, rarely makes game-crushing mistakes, and is an excellent communicator which is often overlooked at the safety position.
There aren't many players around the league that are asked to wear as many hats as Edmunds. He plays all over the place, accumulating 221 snaps at free safety, 193 snaps in the box and 134 snaps in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus. That versatility alone makes him valuable to the Steelers' defense, and while he's never going to be a top-notch playmaker who creates a ton of turnovers, you need solid supporting cast players to surround your highly compensating stars.
Edmunds's play should have earned him a raise, and it would make a lot of sense for both sides to come to an agreement and extend this partnership for a little while longer moving forward. As a 4-7 football team, Pittsburgh has plenty of needs, but safety is at the bottom of that list.
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