Now that the regular season has begun, following yet another year of disappointment, a fourth consecutive season with no postseason victories, it’s time to take stock of where the Pittsburgh Steelers stand. Specifically where Steelers players stand individually based on what we have seen and are seeing over the course of the offseason and the regular season as it plays out. We will also be reviewing players based on their previous season and their prospects for the future. A stock evaluation can take a couple of different approaches and I’ll try to make clear my reasoning. 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. Because of this, we can and will see a player more than once over the course of the season as we move forward.
Player: DL Isaiahh Loudermilk
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: With yesterday’s news that starting lineman Chris Wormley was put on the Reserve/COVID-19 List, that means another opportunity to start for rookie Isaiahh Loudermilk, who made his first start for an injured Wormley this week.
The Steelers are preparing for their biggest game of the year, a do-or-die affair against the Cleveland Browns. Whoever loses will effectively be eliminated from postseason contention—frankly, not even winning out could guarantee them a spot, either.
As they do so, however, facing one of the best pure rushing offenses in the league, they will do so rather shorthanded. On the Reserve/COVID-19 List are both of their inside linebackers, a starting llineman, and their best run-defending cornerback in Arthur Maulet.
The Steelers were already without lineman Chris Wormley last week due to injury, but a bout of COVID will put him on the shelf for at least another week, as he was moved to the reserve list just yesterday. Rookie Isaiahh Loudermilk started for him on Sunday, and figures to do so again next week.
A fifth-round pick, Loudermilk was supposed to be a healthy scratch all season, but those plans changed in a hurry with the injuries suffered by Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu. Alualu was injured early in the second game of the season. Tuitt never made it out of training camp.
Loudermilk has dressed for 13 of the past 14 games, however, missing one. He has logged 229 defensive snaps, including a season-high of 35 last week in his first start, during which he posted a career-high six tackles. He now has 21 on the season, as well as a sack and two batted passes.
The Wisconsin product still has a long way to go, and he still often displays ‘rookie’ tendencies, but he has shown a lot of positive signs over the past several weeks about where he could be headed, looking like a classic two-gapping lineman. It certainly would be a win if they indeed have found a player in him.
