The dead period between now and the start of training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers on July 26 should be rather quiet overall, save for an Alex Highsmith extension at some point, assuming one gets done.
News will be far and few between as the Steelers’ 90-man roster is seemingly set for competition on Chuck Noll Field at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.
That leaves plenty of time for fun offseason exercises and series, like the one I am wrapping up today with the Ranking The Steelers’ Starters here at Steelers Depot. Today, we close the series with the much-anticipated No. 3-1.
Below is the list of projected starters that I am using for the series, featuring a three-wide receiver, 11 personnel set offensively, as well as sub-package football defensively.
*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
No. 18 — Damontae Kazee, S
No. 17 — Chukwuma Okorafor, RT
No. 16 — Mason Cole, C
No. 15 — Patrick Peterson, CB
No. 14 — Cole Holcomb, LB
No. 13 — Kenny Pickett, QB
No. 12 — Chris Boswell, K
No. 11 — Larry Ogunjobi, DE
No. 10 — George Pickens, WR
No. 9 — Najee Harris, RB
No. 8 — Pat Freiermuth, TE
No. 7 — Isaac Seumalo, LG
No. 6 — Diontae Johnson, WR
No. 5 — James Daniels, RG
No. 4 — Alex Highsmith, OLB
Let’s dive into the final trio of starters in the series, highlight No. 3-1.
No. 3 — Cameron Heyward, DE
At age 34, Cameron Heyward someone finds a way to get better and better in the NFL at a rather grueling position. In 2022 alone, Heyward recorded his second-straight 10+ sack season for the Steelers, though somehow didn’t earn an All-Pro honor and was a late add to the Pro Bowl Games as an alternate.
Heyward is as dominant a defensive lineman as there is in the NFL. Even as he gets older and is on the back nine of his career, Heyward somehow continues to get better and better as both a pass rusher and a run defender. He remains one of the very best defensive linemen in the NFL and is an absolute menace on the interior.
He’s a perennial All-Pro and Pro Bowler, the face of the Steelers and is also quietly putting together a Hall of Fame resume in the trenches.
Heyward played at an All-Pro level in 2022 and closed out his 12th season in strong fashion, recording 5.5 sacks in the final four games of the season, helping the Steelers go 3-1 down the stretch and remain in playoff contention right until the very end. Assuming health not only for himself, but for key pieces around him in the Steelers’ defensive front, Heyward should have another great season in 2023 and add to his growing Hall of Fame resume.
No. 2 — T.J. Watt, OLB
Hard to believe that more than a year removed from winning the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award after tying the NFL’s single-season sacks record with 22.5 that T.J. Watt would fall out of the top spot in the Ranking The Steelers’ Starters series here at Steelers Depot. Yet, due to an injury-filled 2022 season that saw him play in just 10 games and record 5.5 sacks, Watt falls one spot.
When he’s healthy, there are few — if any — pass rushers better than Watt. He’s an absolute game-wrecker, one that opposing offenses have to gameplan around.
Watt has 77.5 career sacks, the most of any player in the league since he joined the league. It’s no small surprise that the Steelers’ best stretch of last season came with a healthy Watt. In the 10 games that Watt was healthy in 2022, the Steelers won eight games and lost only twice. They finished the season with a 9-8 record, meaning that when Watt was sidelined, Pittsburgh was 1-6.
Entering his age 29 season (he turns 29 on Oct. 11), Watt has a chance to break the Steelers’ franchise record for sacks held by James Harrison (80.5). Currently, he’s tied with Joe Greene at 77.5 and sits one sack behind Heyward.
No. 1 — Minkah Fitzpatrick, S
For the first time ever, Minkah Fitzpatrick holds down the No. 1 spot in the Ranking The Steelers’ Starters here at Steelers Depot. Dating back to the 2020 season, Watt had held down the top spot.
Now, it’s Fitzpatrick’s turn.
The ball-hawking safety is coming off of a terrific season in 2022, tying for the league lead in interceptions with six, helping the Steelers tie for the league lead as a team overall in the process. After a down 2021 season that saw him needed in run support more, which caused a drop-off in production, leading to some questions entering 2022.
He answered those questions in a massive way, returning to his turnover-creating ways once again. Along with his six interceptions, Fitzpatrick recorded 94 tackles, tied a career high with 11 passes defensed and earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors once again.
Fitzpatrick is only going to get better. He’s still young – he turns 27 in November — and signed a long-term contract last offseason to keep him in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future.
With Fitzpatrick patrolling the secondary, he’s become the point man of the Steelers’ defense as a coverage expert, one that can do anything asked of him in the secondary. He’s far and away the best safety in the NFL, and he’s consistently shown that in his time in the Black and Gold over the last four seasons.
