With the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine underway in Indianapolis, things are starting to pick up in the NFL offseason calendar, which is great news.
Hopefully, soon, the endless speculation and rumors will come to a stop, and actual moves will start to occur. Until then, we’re in the dog days of the offseason.
Knowing that, let’s continue rolling right along in my post-season Ranking The Steelers’ Starters series, re-hashing my preseason starters ranking from No. 24-1 for the Black and Gold. Most recently, I looked at No. 18-16.
As a reminder, here’s the list of Steelers’ rankings from No. 24-1 ahead of training camp.
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
No. 3 — Cameron Heyward, DE
No. 2 — T.J. Watt, OLB
No. 1 — Minkah Fitzpatrick, S
Swap out Pressley Harvin III at punter for Mann and Broderick Jones in for Chukwuma Okorafor, as those were really the only changes. I’ll still include Cole Holcomb in the rankings, as he was a starter for more than half of the season before getting hurt, and the Steelers didn’t exactly have another linebacker who played starter-level snaps while replacing him.
So far, here is the list for the post-season Steelers’ rankings:
No. 24 — Pressley Harvin III, P
No. 23 — Dan Moore Jr., OT
No. 22 — Mason Cole, C
No. 21 — Levi Wallace, CB
No. 20 — Damontae Kazee, S
No. 19 — Allen Robinson II, WR
No. 18 — Kenny Pickett, QB
No. 17 — Larry Ogunjobi, DE
No. 16 — Patrick Peterson, CB
Let’s jump into the next portion of the post-season rankings, focusing on Nos. 15-13.
No. 15 — Broderick Jones, RT
It was a curious move by the Steelers to plug Broderick Jones into the lineup at right tackle on a short week entering Week Nine, but for the most part, the move paid off. Jones stepped into the lineup at a relatively new position and played well from a run-blocking perspective, providing the Steelers with a physical presence in the run game.
The work in the run game was impressive, but Jones fell off down the stretch from a pass-blocking standpoint, allowing 13 pressures in the final four weeks of the season and finishing with a total of 25 pressures allowed at right tackle. Jones struggled in the AFC Wild Card matchup against the Buffalo Bills, allowing five pressures in the 31-17 loss.
His hand usage, pad level, and footwork in his pass sets fell apart late in the season, causing him to have a tough time against some experienced pass rushers. We’ll see if they move him back to his more natural left tackle position this offseason.
No. 14 — Pat Freiermuth, TE
Entering the 2023 season, expectations were high for tight end Pat Freiermuth after he made NFL history, becoming just the second tight end in NFL history with 60+ in his first two seasons. But then the 2023 season occurred, and Freiermuth was largely forgotten about in the Steelers’ offense.
A hamstring injury derailed Freiermuth’s season, too, causing him to miss five games on the year. Though he had two touchdowns in the first three weeks of the season, it was a disappointing year for Freiermuth, who finished with just 32 receptions for 308 yards and two touchdowns. He was a mess as a blocker early in the season, too.
To his credit, Freiermuth bounced back late in the season, putting together a nine-catch, 120-yard performance against the Cincinnati Bengals in the Week 12 win on the road in the first game after Matt Canada was fired. He also improved as a blocker late in the season, allowing the Steelers to do a number of things out of 12 and 13 personnel, which was rather encouraging.
Overall, it was a disappointing season for Freiermuth, who is now in line for an extension this summer.
No. 13 — Cole Holcomb, LB
Before his season-ending injury in Week Nine against the Tennessee Titans, Cole Holcomb had the look of a long-term answer at the inside linebacker position for the Steelers.
After signing a three-year, $18 million deal in free agency to leave the Washington Commanders, Holcomb immediately stepped in as a three-down linebacker for the Steelers, providing Pittsburgh with some solid play. Entering Week Nine against the Titans, Holcomb was playing some of his best ball. He finished his first season with the Steelers recording 54 tackles in 8 games, adding four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery, making plays all over for the Steelers.
The timeline of the injury and what exactly occurred is concerning, but if he can bounce back healthy, the Steelers have a strong leader at the MACK position.
