In just a few days, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be back on the familiar practice fields at Saint Vincent College for another edition of training camp, where things will heat up quickly ahead of the 2024 season.
Roster battles will play out, decisions will start to become clearer, and before you know it the regular season will be upon us.
For now though, there are just a few more days to get through before training camp. So, today we’ll continue to roll through my Ranking The Steelers’ Starters series here at Steelers Depot, looking at No. 6-4.
Below is the list of projected starters I am using for the series. The series features a two-tight end, 12-personnel set, and base package football defensively. That means just one running back, so I had to choose between Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren as the starter. I also ditched the three-CB look defensively to return to the traditional 3-4 scheme.
Therefore, that means you won’t see names like Cameron Sutton or Damontae Kazee defensively, but you will see Keeanu Benton this summer after not being included last summer.
This is the starting lineup that I believe will be rolled out in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons on the road.
*indicates players already ranked in the series.
Offense
QB — Russell Wilson
RB — Najee Harris
WR — George Pickens
WR – Van Jefferson
TE — Pat Freiermuth
TE — Darnell Washington
LT — Dan Moore Jr.
LG — Isaac Seumalo
C — Zach Frazier
RG — James Daniels
RT – Broderick Jones
Defense
DE — Cameron Heyward
DE — Larry Ogunjobi
NT — Keeanu Benton
OLB — Alex Highsmith
ILB — Elandon Roberts
ILB — Patrick Queen
OLB — T.J. Watt
CB — Joey Porter Jr.
CB — Donte Jackson
S — Minkah Fitzpatrick
S — DeShon Elliott
Specialists
K – Chris Boswell
P — Cameron Johnston
Here is how the rankings look so far:
No. 24 — Dan Moore Jr., LT
No. 23 — Darnell Washington, TE
No. 22 — Van Jefferson, WR
No. 21 — Zach Frazier, C
No. 20 — Larry Ogunjobi, DE
No. 19 — Cameron Johnston, P
No. 18 — Donte Jackson, CB
No. 17 — Elandon Roberts, ILB
No. 16 — Broderick Jones, RT
No. 15 — Keeanu Benton, NT
No. 14 — James Daniels, RG
No. 13 — DeShon Elliott, S
No. 12 — Najee Harris, RB
No. 11 — Russell Wilson, QB
No. 10 — Isaac Seumalo, LG
No. 9 — Pat Freiermuth, TE
No. 8 — George Pickens, WR
No. 7 — Joey Porter Jr., CB
Steelers’ Starters: No. 24-22
Steelers’ Starters: No. 21-19
Steelers’ Starters: No. 18-16
Steelers’ Starters: No. 15-13
Steelers’ Starters: No. 12-10
Steelers’ Starters: No. 9-7
Without further ado, let’s dive into the latest installment of the Ranking The Steelers’ Starters series here at Steelers Depot, looking at No. 6-4.
No. 6 — Cameron Heyward, DE
Much like Pat Freiermuth at No. 9, Cameron Heyward coming in at No. 6 might be a bit too high for many, and that’s understandable. He’s coming off of an injury-marred season that caused him to miss six games due to groin surgery. But, he’s fully healthy now and is poised to have a major bounce back season in 2024.
Heyward has a chip on his shoulder entering his 14th season in the league, hearing many of the doubts and concerns about his age and health as reasons why he shouldn’t get another contract from the Steelers. When healthy though — and outside of last season he’s been healthy much of his career — he is a force, one of the best in the game.
He’s going to remind many of that this season in the Steelers’ defense, which is downright loaded.
No. 5 — Chris Boswell, K
Without Chris Boswell last season, who knows where the Steelers wind up. For much of the season, Boswell was the only real consistent source of offense for the Black and Gold. Boswell connected on 29-of-31 field goals on the season, good for a 93.5% conversion rate. That mark tied the second-best mark of his career.
The star kicker missed just two field goals on the season, both at home. In Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Boswell missed a 61-yard field goal due to a bogus offsides penalty that negated a 56-yard conversion in the rain. Then, in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals Boswell missed his other field goal on the season.
Boswell was also 27-of-28 on extra points, missing an extra point on the road in Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts. He remains one of the very best kickers in football, right in the same conversation with Baltimore’s Justin Tucker. With offensive improvements, Boswell should have more opportunities to score points, though he’ll have to adjust to working with a new holder in punter Cameron Johnston.
No. 4 — Patrick Queen, ILB
It was a surprise signing for the Steelers, but it was a massive splash landing Patrick Queen on a three-year, $41 million deal. Landing the best off-ball linebacker on the market, and stealing him away from a division rival was a huge win for the Steelers.
Last season with the Ravens, Queen had a dominant season, recording a career-high 133 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and an interception, earning second-team All-Pro accolades. He is a true run-and-hit linebacker downhill against the run and can drop into coverage, giving him the ability to play in all situations.
At just 24 years old, Queen’s best football appears to be ahead of him, and that will hopefully come quickly in the Black and Gold at a position that was a major area of need entering the offseason.
