With the conference finals contenders now set, a former member of the Pittsburgh Steelers is once again guaranteed to win the Super Bowl. The same has been true in recent years, and quite frankly in most years I imagine. This year, however, we have some interesting names on the list, which I admit may not be exhaustive.
While the Steelers exited in humiliation during the Wild Card Round, each team that remains has Steelers ties. The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills guarantee Steelers players from the AFC, while the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders do so for the AFC.
Let’s start with the defending Super Bowl champions to make it easier. Once again, the Chiefs still have former Steelers draft pick Chris Oladokun on their practice squad. But they also have former Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster again after he helped them win the 2022 Super Bowl. He isn’t contributing much, but the ring is just as shiny. Kansas City also has CBs Steven Nelson and Darius Rush on its practice squad.
Their opponents, the Bills, also have ties to the Steelers on their roster. In fact, a former Steelers quarterback is guaranteed to represent the AFC, with Mitch Trubisky behind Josh Allen. Trubisky entered the 2022 season as the Steelers’ starting quarterback, losing his job to then-rookie Kenny Pickett. Speaking of whom…
Pickett, the Steelers’ 2022 first-round pick, is also a game away from the Super Bowl. He is, of course, the Eagles’ backup to Jalen Hurts, because he demanded a trade out of Pittsburgh. Fred Johnson spent part of his rookie season in 2019 with the Steelers before they lost him off waivers. Dramatically less notable are Braden Mann and Le’Raven Clark, who spent time in Pittsburgh in the 2023 offseason. Mann is their starting punter, Clark on IR.
The Commanders, making their first conference finals in decades, also have a Steelers contingent. OL Trent Scott spent the 2022 season with the team, and ILB Mykal Walker did in the second half of 2023. Due to injuries, the latter was occasionally pressed into starting duty. Also of note is RB Jeremy McNichols, who spent training camp with the Steelers in 2022. Including the postseason, he has five touchdowns for the Commanders this year.
So there you have it, the [potentially somewhat] complete list of names of all the possible players who previously played for the Pittsburgh Steelers who still have a chance to win the Super Bowl for the 2024 season. We are now down to four teams, so that narrows it down quite a bit.
The most notable names, of course, are JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kenny Pickett. Smith-Schuster, a former Pro Bowler for the Steelers, already won a Super Bowl two years ago. Pickett was benched before his only postseason game with the Steelers in 2023. He is, of course, a backup, and Smith-Schuster is as well.
Technically a former Steeler will win the Super Bowl this year. Chances are, however, they will have done little to contribute to the cause. Of those named, Braden Mann and Jeremy McNichols are contributing the most to their teams. Perhaps that says something about where the Steelers are right now.
