On former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s Footbahlin’ podcast, current Steelers quarterback as Kenny Pickett said if he could play with anyone Roethlisberger played with, it would be former wide receiver Antonio Brown. While a prime Brown would be a game-changer for the Steelers’ offense, it got me thinking as to who else could help out the current Steelers and make a significant impact. After debating a few names, I settled on former Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey.
I wanted to go with Hall of Fame guard Alan Faneca, but the Steelers have two solid guards slated to start in Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels. While Mason Cole is a capable starter at center and did a great job last season, adding Pouncey and moving Cole to backup at center and both guard spots would give the Steelers incredible depth. If you add a prime Pouncey at center, that’s an All-Pro to anchor the center of the line.
With the Steelers building around a gritty offensive line and a run-first offense, adding another mauler like Pouncey would complete the team’s identity as going full bully ball. Seumalo and Daniels are both Pro Bowl-level talents and a prime Pouncey would certainly add another. Couple that with a young Broderick Jones at left tackle and a reliable Chukwuma Okorafor on the right side, and the Steelers line would become one of the best in the league.
Pouncey may not be the most exciting option, as obviously Brown or someone like Plaxico Burress would certainly make the offense more fun. But with the way the Steelers have built their roster, Pouncey just makes the most sense. He’d also add a clear-cut leader among the offensive linemen, and his physicality and toughness would be very welcome. The Steelers would be able to ground and pound their way to victory and would be borderline unstoppable running the ball up the middle.
In the end, it’s a pointless argument because none of these guys are coming back in their prime to play for the Steelers. But it’s definitely fun to think about, and the thought of Pouncey at his peak playing for the 2023 Steelers is pretty awesome. He’d be the one missing piece to forming a star-studded offensive line and it would also solve Pittsburgh’s depth issues at center as Cole would be one of the better backups in the league. As it stands now, the Steelers roster is pretty complete and they should be really competitive in the AFC this year.
