Which Steelers player are you most thankful for this year?
It is Thanksgiving, so I suppose we have to tie it into the Steelers somehow, right? So today’s question is, which Steelers player are you most thankful for this year? For purely arbitrary reasons, I’m sticking with players, and current players, at that.
I’m guessing a lot of Steelers fans would have said Russell Wilson a week ago, but maybe fewer today. They were on a four-game winning streak with him as the starter, five games overall. While Wilson wasn’t the reason they lost to the Browns, he also didn’t do enough to win.
There’s always T.J. Watt, of course, and this might be the perfect encapsulation of taking greatness for granted. He has 7.5 sacks and four forced fumbles for the Steelers this year, but is that not enough? Especially considering the injuries to the position, and the amount of attention he draws.
How about George Pickens? He continues to make fantastic plays, which has been his trademark for his entire career. But yet he still has just two touchdowns, even if he missed out on some due to penalties. Others he squandered for the Steelers all on his own.
I will offer a sleeper candidate: will anybody consider picking Donte Jackson? The man has four interceptions and a fumble recovery, and the Steelers aren’t getting those numbers from Minkah Fitzpatrick anymore. Considering how crucial takeaways have been, that might be worth considering.
For me, I’m going with Old Faithful, Cameron Heyward. Oh, you thought he was washed? Well, you were wrong. All he did was re-establish himself as one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL. Through 11 games, the Steelers legend has 45 tackles, six for loss, five sacks, 15 hits, and seven batted passes. Yeah, I’m thankful for that, especially considering we never did get that jump from Keeanu Benton.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
