Now that the 2020 regular season has begun, following a second consecutive season in which they failed to even reach the playoffs, it’s time to take stock of where the Pittsburgh Steelers stand. Specifically where Steelers players stand individually based on what we are seeing over the course of the season as it plays out. Who is making plays? Who is missing them? Who is losing snaps? Who is struggling to stay on the field?
A stock evaluation can take a couple of different approaches and I’ll try to make clear my reasonings. In some cases it will be based on more long-term trends. In other instances it will be a direct response to something that just happened. So we can see a player more than once over the course of the season as we move forward.
Player: OL Matt Feiler
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: Left guard Matt Feiler suffered a pectoral injury during Sunday’s game that is of some seriousness, prompting the team to place him on the Reserve/Injured List. The move will require him to miss at least the remaining three games of the regular season, but he will be eligible to return for the start of the postseason if he is healthy.
As if the Steelers don’t have enough problems with their offense, even after missing starting center Maurkice Pouncey in the two games prior, now they are going to spend at least the next three games without their starting left guard, Matt Feiler, who started the first 13 games there.
The fourth-year veteran went down in the first half after suffering a pectoral injury. Head coach Mike Tomlin did not provide an update on his status after the game beyond noting the nature of the injury, but the team placed him on the Reserve/Injured List yesterday.
What we don’t know is how serious that injury is. He will miss at least the next three games, which accounts for the remainder of the regular season, but we don’t know if it’s more long-term than that. We will hear from Tomlin later today, and hopefully he will be able to provide some details as to the likelihood of his being available for the postseason.
In the meantime, there is uncertainty about who is replacement will be, because Kevin Dotson, who took over the spot after he went down, also left the game with a pectoral injury. While he wasn’t put on reserve, that doesn’t mean he will be available to play next week.
Feiler started one game a right guard and one at left prior to this season. He started 25 games at right tackle between 2018 and 2019 before being moved inside for the 2020 season to replace Ramon Foster, the veteran left guard who called it a career this offseason.
