Perspective Of An Average Steelers Fan: Top 500 Steelers (2023 Edition)

PREVIOUS EDITIONS

As an average Steelers fan, I’m compelled to compare players from different eras. Dave Bryan was kind enough to publish my original List of Top 500 All-Time Pittsburgh Steelers in January 2017. My last update came at the end of the 2022 NFL season: Top 500 Steelers (2022 Edition).

This eighth edition of the Top 500 All-Time Pittsburgh Steelers incorporates on-the-field service, recognition, and accomplishments of the 2023 Steelers. Former Steelers rankings may move due to changes to Steelers All-Time individual leaders in select categories, adjusted information in the Pro Football Reference (one of my main resources), or recognition for their play, such as induction to the Steelers Hall of Honor or the Football Hall of Fame.

T.J. Watt Dissed for DPOY

Hines Ward and James Harrison did not receive enough votes to be Hall of Fame finalists for yet another year. Myles Garrett got more votes than T.J. Watt for Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY). Former credible journalists like Peter King said they based their vote on Pro Football Focus evaluations that said Garrett had a higher “quality pass rush” grade than Watt. Sacking, hitting, and pressuring quarterbacks more often should be enough evidence of the better pass rusher. But style points matter in this case. It’s analogous to grading a quarterback higher based on how tight his spiral is on an incompletion rather than the quarterback who throws wobbly touchdown passes.

Jaylen Warren missed the top 500 in his second season. He’ll easily break into the top 500 with another strong showing next season. This year, running back Richard Huntley is Mr. 500, the very last to make the all-time list. Previous Mr. 500’s includes Ricardo Colclough, Dick Arndt, David Woodley, Pete Ladygo, Lou Tepe, Chris Carter, and Charles Davenport.

Despite missing out on DPOY honors, T.J. Watt leapfrogged Cam Heyward and is now the highest active player on the all-time list at number 20. Watt, along with Miles Killebrew, voted first-team All-Pros in 2023. Killebrew skyrocketed 332 places to 299th overall. Primarily a special teams player, Killebrew blocked several punts impacting games. Every player ranked ahead of Watt and Heyward is either already in the Football Hall of Fame or the Steelers Hall of Honor, except for Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown.

PLAYERS DROPPED OFF THIS EDITION

As players ascend into the top 500, inevitably, Newton’s third law of motion forces other players out. Here are the players who fell from last year’s list, along with their new ranking:

Here are some details on these Steelers of yore:

Russell Davis

Played fullback for Michigan from 1975 to 1978. Team MVP in 1977 when Michigan won the Big 10 Championship. As co-captain his senior year gained 2,560 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. He also played in three Rose Bowls. But the big bowl performance was the 1979 East-West Shrine game when he gained 199 yards and scored six touchdowns.

The Steelers drafted Davis in the fourth round. But he missed the entire 1979 season due to a fractured arm suffered during a contact drill in training camp. He played from 1980-83, gaining 474 yards and scoring two touchdowns. His best game as a Steeler a 100 yard game on 13 carries and a touchdown in a 38-10 win over the Jets. His career was cut short by Boeck’s sarcoidosis, a condition that scarred his lungs and created breathing problems. After the NFL, he worked as a high school athletic director in Michigan. He retired in 2010 due to health issues at age 53. Davis joined 4,500 former NFL players suing the NFL due to long-term health issues from playing. The suit was settled in 2013 with Davis saying:

“The players need help, immediate help. Guys are getting worse.”

He was hospitalized with a concussion following a game.

Cornell Gowdy

Cornell Gowdy played linebacker and defensive back for Morgan State. The Steelers signed Gowdy as an undrafted free agent in 1985. But he was released during training camp. The Dallas Cowboys signed him, and he appeared in three games before they released him in September 1986.

He circled back to the Steelers in 1987, but the season was interrupted by a player’s strike. He started three games as a replacement player and remained with the team following the settlement. In 1988, he started 14 games in place of the retired Donnie Shell. Gowdy scored a 45-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter that brought the Steelers within 19-13 of the Browns. Had they won that game, the Steelers would have had a Wild Card spot since they owned the tiebreaker with Seattle. But it was not to be. The Steelers released him just before the start of the 1989 season. His place at strong safety was taken over by rookie Carnell Lake.

Gowdy worked as a scout for the New Orleans Saints from 1997 to 2003. And for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2003 to 2009.

Bam Morris

The Steelers picked Byron “Bam” Morris in the third round pick of the 1994 draft. In the 1995 playoffs, he scored four touchdowns, including one in the Super Bowl loss to the Dallas Cowboys (that matches the four-career playoff touchdowns by Le’Veon Bell). He packed 244 pounds on a six-foot frame.

Unfortunately, he was arrested for possessing four kilos of marijuana and a gram of cocaine. The Steelers cut him after his second season, and the Baltimore Ravens signed him as a free agent. The fear of his unavailability led the Steelers to make a draft-day trade for another beefy running back…Jerome Bettis.

Rich Tylski

Pittsburgh signed Rick Tylski as a free agent after he played four seasons with Jacksonville at right guard. Bill Cowher intended to use Tylski to replace Brandan Stai. He started all 16 games in 2000. Then he started the first nine games of the 2001 season before a high ankle sprain and rib injury forced him out of the starting line-up. The Steelers released him after the season, and he soon retired from football after trying to return to New England.

Unfortunately, Tylski and his wife turned out to be abusive parents. A court ordered the Tylski’s to pay their adopted daughter $1.25 million in 2010, and she was placed with another family after it was determined she suffered multiple fractures over several years.

Jaylen Samuels

Jaylen Samuels played multiple positions at North Carolina State, including running back, tight end, and wide receiver. He is currently the Wolf Pack’s third all-time reception leader with 202 ahead of receivers like Torry Holt and Jerricho Cotchery. The Steelers selected Samuels in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft.

Mainly a backup to James Conner, Jaylen appeared in 42 games with eight starts from 2018 to 2020. He gained 459 rushing yards and a touchdown. Plus added 550 receiving yards and four touchdown catches. His career highlight was starting for an injured James Conner in his rookie year. He gained 142 yards on 19 carries and added another 30 yards on two receptions in a 17-10 win over the Patriots.

The Steelers released him in October 2021 without appearing in a game. The Steelers moved on with Najee Harris and Benny Snell as his primary backup. Samuels made a brief appearance with the Houston Texans in 2021. Most recently, the San Antonio Brahmas selected Samuels in the January 2024 UFL dispersal draft as the USFL and XFL consolidated operations.

Zack Valentine

Zack Valentine played defensive end at East Carolina. A thumbnail description of the Steelers’ 1979 second-round draft choice said he mainly was in a “stand-up position in a five-man front. Has outstanding range, mobility, and pursuit, according to Steelers Scouts.”

An early example of the Steelers converting a college defensive lineman into an NFL linebacker. Unfortunately, Valentine competed with a room stacked with young and old linebacker talent, including Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Robin Cole, Loren Toews, David Little, and Bryan Hinkle. He mainly played special teams in 48 games with the Steelers. In 1981, he dived into piles to recover two fumbles to prevent turnovers. The Steelers traded Valentine to Baltimore following the 1981 season, but he was cut. He played one final season in Philadelphia.

Charles Davenport

The Steelers selected Charles Davenport in the fourth round of the 1992 NFL draft out of North Carolina State. In college, he played both quarterback and wide receiver. But was considered a possession receiver. Davenport played for Pittsburgh from 1992 to 1994. He had 13 receptions for 187 yards, averaging 14.4 yards a catch.

But his biggest play was on special teams. In his rookie season, the 8-3 Steelers played the 4-7 Cincinnati Bengals in late November. The Bengals attempted a fake punt on their first possession, but the upback mishandled the ball. And Charles Davenport scooped the ball up and ran for a 34-yard touchdown. The Steelers went on to sack David Klingler 10 times en route to a 21-9 win. Pittsburgh lost Davenport when Jacksonville selected him in the expansion draft. But he never played another down in the NFL.

Davenport ended up back in North Carolina and got into high school refereeing. This year, he was officiating the 3A North Carolina high school playoff games.

Johnny Clement

Johnny Clement came to the Steelers in 1946. The legendary Jock Sutherland envisioned him replacing Bullet Bill Dudley, who was traded away after a dispute between the Steeler’s best offensive weapon and the head coach. Clement led the Steelers into their first-ever playoff game against Philadelphia in 1947. But he left the team after a pay dispute following the 1948 season. Read more about Johnny Zero in a separate Steelers Depot article.

Kent Nix

The Green Bay Packers signed quarterback Kent Nix as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Christian University. He spent the 1966 season on the Packers Taxi Squad. He was dealt to Pittsburgh, where Nix played from 1967 to 1969. He started 12 of 25 games played for the Steelers, throwing 14 touchdown passes. But added 33 interceptions. Mainly a backup, his most productive season in 1967 subbing for an injured Bill Nelsen and starting nine games.

But the Steelers acquired a series of quarterbacks like Dick Shiner in 1968, drafted Terry Hanratty in 1969, and drafted Terry Bradshaw in 1970 to be the starters. Nix was on the team through training camp in 1970. But Chuck Noll traded him to the Minnesota Vikings for a draft pick just before the 1970 regular season. He was one among many Steelers from Chuck Noll’s first year that did not make the cut into what would become the Steelers decade.

Nix would remain in the NFL until 1972, finishing up his career with the Houston Oilers.

Do you remember these players? If you have an interesting anecdote about any of them, please give us your story in the comment section.

NEWCOMERS TO THE TOP 500

Here are the new additions to the list:

All of the nine ascending players were on the Steelers 2023 roster. Pittsburgh drafted three of the current players between 2021-2022. Mason Rudolph, drafted in 2019, reappears on the list after dropping off last year. Miles Killebrew, Mason Cole, Larry Ogunjobi, and James Daniels signed as free agents in 2021 and 2022. Montravius Adams signed from the Saints practice squad in 2021.

CONCLUSION

30 players played a regular season game in Steelers uniforms for the first time in 2023. There are now 1,631 players who have worn the Black and Gold in at least one regular season game since the team entered the league in 1933.

Some rankings, such as Miles Killebrew ahead of Kenny Pickett and George Pickens, due to his honors this season, will correct over time. Players advance and fall at varied rates each season.

Many of you may dispute where I rank different players. That’s okay by me. I use a matrix, so once the numbers crunch, players end up where they do. I wish some of my favorite players ranked higher. Conversely, there are some jagoffs that I wish came in lower on the rankings. It is what it is. Here we go.

The full list of Top 500 Steelers is just below your music selection.

YOUR MUSIC SELECTION

I always like to include some music. This series is an effort to show off the best of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And to generate memories of some who wore Black and Gold years ago. Here is Best of Us performed by Dirty Heads.

The Top 500 Steelers (2023 Edition):