Every member of the Pittsburgh Steelers saw their stock drop after last weekend. Thanks for coming.
While I am sure that there is a valid argument for the above statement, there were more than a few solid performances sprinkled into Sunday’s disastrous 33-3 beatdown at the hands of the New England Patriots. Here are all your latest stock movements as the Steelers prepare to take on the Seattle Seahawks for their home opener.
WR Donte Moncrief – Stock Down
Donte Moncrief’s debut for the Steelers certainly had everyone talking, though not in a good way. According to Pro Football Reference, the veteran wide receiver led all receivers in drops for week one with four drops last Sunday night. These were no ordinary drops either as most came in crucial moments as well. Timing was also an issue Sunday as Moncrief and Roethlisberger also failed to connect on a pass in the end zone. No matter how you draw it up, it is hard to imagine a receiver having a worse start than the one Moncrief had last Sunday.
CB Steven Nelson – Stock Up
There have been two constants surrounding the career of Tom Brady since he took over for the Patriots in 2001 – winning Super Bowls and carving up the Steelers’ secondary. While Brady had his way with majority of the Steelers’ secondary last Sunday, newcomer Steven Nelson had himself a quiet but decent debut. His only error was choosing to blitz on a play that led to Josh Gordon’s opening touchdown but besides that, his name was rarely mentioned, which is always a good sign when going up against Brady and company.
S Terrell Edmunds – Stock Down
Terrell Edmunds has only played 17 games thus far in his career but there is no doubt that last Sunday was one of his worst showings. Without veteran Sean Davis playing alongside him, Edmunds and Kameron Kelly were picked apart by Brady all night long. Edmunds struggled with the most basic component of his duties as he allowed numerous deep passes into the last third of the field.
WR James Washington – Stock Up
James Washington had just two catches for 51 yards against the Patriots but he showed up big with a 45-yard catch down the sideline. Washington’s decision to run out of bounds was a questionable one but when comparing his performance to that of Moncrief and Switzer, the second-year pro definitely put together a stronger body of work. Hopefully Washington can continue building on his performance and see more snaps as a result.
QB Ben Roethlisberger – Stock Down
After failing to play much in the preseason, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a severe case of rustiness on Sunday. Now the play of his receiving group did him no favors but on a night where Brady looked sharp and consistent, Roethlisberger looked the complete opposite, completing just 57.4-percent of his passes with zero touchdowns and one interception. Sunday was also the first time in 26 games that the Steelers’ quarterback failed to throw a touchdown pass. Roethlisberger will now have a chance to rebound against a Seahawks’ secondary that allowed 418 passing yards to Andy Dalton.
S Sean Davis – Stock Up
I believe this marks the first time that a player has seen their stock rise without even touching the field. That is the case for safety Sean Davis and it has everything to do with the impact his absence caused last Sunday. While Davis has not been a world beater in the secondary, he has excelled at not allowing anything over his head, which is exactly what the Steelers’ struggled to do last Sunday. His return to the lineup should give the Steelers some much needed stability in the secondary.
