Just like that, the calendar has reached June and the third week of Organized Team Activities for the Pittsburgh Steelers are underway.
As the offseason rolls along, so, too does my offseason series of Ranking The Steelers’ Starters here for Steelers Depot. In case you missed it earlier in the week, I highlighted No. 24-22 along with No. 21-19. Today, we’ll move on to No. 18-16.
This year, with so many new faces and some changes in the starting lineup, the list could look vastly different once again.
Before we dive into the next three starters ranked near the bottom in my rankings, I wanted to lay out my projected starters for the season as we draw nearer to training camp. Below, I went with 11 personnel and a three-receiver set offensively, while going with the Steelers’ sub-package defense.
*italics indicates players are already ranked in the series.
Offense
QB — Kenny Pickett
RB — Najee Harris
WR — George Pickens
WR – Diontae Johnson
WR – Allen Robinson II
TE — Pat Freiermuth
LT — Dan Moore Jr.
LG — Isaac Seumalo
C — Mason Cole
RG — James Daniels
RT – Chukwuma Okorafor
Defense
DE — Cameron Heyward
DE — Larry Ogunjobi
OLB — Alex Highsmith
ILB — Elandon Roberts
ILB — Cole Holcomb
OLB — T.J. Watt
CB — Patrick Peterson
CB — Levi Wallace
CB – Joey Porter Jr.
S — Minkah Fitzpatrick
S — Damontae Kazee
Specialists
K – Chris Boswell
P — Braden Mann
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the ranking so far here at Steelers Depot:
No. 24 — Braden Mann, P
No. 23 — Dan Moore Jr., LT
No. 22 — Levi Wallace, CB
No. 21 — Joey Porter Jr., CB
No. 20 — Elandon Roberts, LB
No. 19 — Allen Robinson II, WR
Now, let’s dive into the Steelers’ starters, No. 18-16.
No. 18 — Damontae Kazee, S
It took until Week 10 of the 2022 season for veteran safety Damontae Kazee to appear on the field for the Steelers due to an injury. Once he was on the field, he was an impactful defender, playing a key role down the stretch as the Steelers’ defense turned into one of the top 10 in the league.
Kazee is that versatile piece that the Steelers wanted in their third safety last season, able to play in the box, in the slot or deep safety. That allowed defensive coordinator Teryl Austin to rotate Minkah Fitzpatrick, Terrell Edmunds and Kazee around, creating different looks for opposing offenses.
With Edmunds off to Philadelphia in free agency, Kazee appears to be in line for a bigger role in 2023. He’s a ballhawk at the position overall with 14 career interceptions, including two last season in just nine games while recording a career-high PFF grade of 81.0. He’s a physical presence for the Steelers secondary, one who will set the tone moving forward, and should be able to make more of an impact this season in a larger role alongside Fitzpatrick and veteran free agent signee Keanu Neal.
No. 17 — Chukwuma Okorafor, RT
Last season Okorafor cracked the list at No. 19. This season, after a relatively strong season as a pass protector, Okorafor slides up two spots to No. 17.
Okorafor is very clearly a “he is what he is” player at this point in his career. In the starting lineup now for three years, he’s really a fairly average starter who is making fairly average starter money, even if fans don’t want to hear that. He could be upgraded, but he is not a liability, a player the Steelers can’t succeed with.
Though he doesn’t provide much in the run game or from a physicality standpoint, he’s a good athlete overall at the position and allowed just three sacks last season on 686 pass blocking reps. Granted, he allowed 41 total pressures, but he played a career-high in pass blocking reps to go along with a career high in snaps overall.
He formed a strong right side with guard James Daniels in 2023 and appears relatively safe in the starting lineup — for now.
No. 16 — Mason Cole, C
A steady, solid veteran presence, Cole moves up five spots in the rankings from last season after a strong first season with the Steelers. In total, Cole played 1,114 snaps for Pittsburgh while battling through ankle and foot injuries, missing just 46 total snaps on the year. After a disastrous 2021 season from the center position for Pittsburgh, Cole came in and solidified the important position for the Black and Gold, becoming a true leader on a young offense.
Cole was a steady presence for the Steelers this past season, as I’ve pointed out before. According to PFF, he was guilty of allowing just two sacks on 1,114 snaps, many of which he played hurt. He’s as tough as they come, battling an ankle and foot injury throughout the 2022 season. He started all 17 games as the Steelers’ center after logging more time at guard with the Vikings in 2021. In college at Michigan, he bounced between left tackle and center, a man who has always been on the move.
Having Cole as the vocal leader of the offensive line showed its worth during the season’s final stretch. In the first seven games of the season, the Steelers produced just 87.8 yards per game, well below the league average. However, in the final 11 games, they bumped that number up to 132 yards per game finishing 16th overall in the league with a final rushing average of 121.9.
Cole was a key part in that resurgence from the Steelers’ offensive line, providing that steady presence while adding some physicality to the group. He held up extremely well in pass protection in front of rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, too, and developed a strong bond with Pickett.
