The Pittsburgh Steelers are fully into offseason mode, and so are we here at Steelers Depot. With the NFL’s Super Bowl matchup set, we press on with the Ranking The Steelers’ Starters series, this being the post-season edition of the rankings.
Though the season ended in frustrating fashion with five straight losses, including an embarrassing loss in the playoffs to the AFC North-rival Baltimore Ravens, I wanted to take a look at my preseason starters rankings compared to the season that was just completed.
So, that’s what we’re doing today, taking a look at No. 18-16 after looking at No. 21-19 and No. 24-22 previously.
As a reminder, here’s the list from No. 24-1 ahead of training camp.
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
No. 6 — Cameron Heyward, DE
No. 5 — Chris Boswell, K
No. 4 — Patrick Queen, LB
No. 3 — Alex Highsmith, OLB
No. 2 — Minkah Fitzpatrick, S
No. 1 — T.J. Watt, OLB
And here is how the post-season Ranking The Steelers’ Starters series looks so far:
No. 24 — Van Jefferson, WR
No. 23 — Dan Moore Jr., LT
No. 22 — Corliss Waitman, P
No. 21 — Broderick Jones, RT
No. 20 — Larry Ogunjobi, DE
No. 19 — Darnell Washington, TE
Again, a reminder: Mason McCormick is in at RG for the injured James Daniels. I won’t have names like Justin Fields, Nick Herbig or Payton Wilson ranked here, because they didn’t play true starter snaps.
Without further ado, let’s jump into the postseason Ranking the Steelers’ Starters, looking at No. 18-16 today.
No. 18 — Donte Jackson, CB
Things started out well for Donte Jackson in his first season with the Steelers. He had an interception in their season-opening win over the Atlanta Falcons and later had interceptions in back-to-back weeks against Dallas and Las Vegas and Cleveland and Cincinnati. He set a career-high in interceptions (five), but he fell off significantly down the stretch, especially as a nagging back injury hindered him.
When Jackson was healthy enough to play late in the season, he was a mess, too, giving up some easy touchdowns, including in the playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens. When he was healthy, he was a fine No. 2. But the problem is, from roughly midseason on, he was banged up and a real liability.
Now, he is set to enter free agency. Chances are, he’ll be back in 2025. But he allowed 40 receptions for 551 yards and an average depth of target of 12.7 yards, worst on the team. Not great.
No. 17 — Mason McCormick, RG
He wasn’t expected to see much time this season behind Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels, but after Daniels went down with a torn Achilles in Week 4, it was the Mason McCormick show at right guard. At times, McCormick looked good, particularly in pass protection. He held up well, allowing just 21 pressures and 2 sacks across 523 pass-blocking reps.
Where he struggled was in the run game, which was a bit surprising considering how physical he was in that aspect coming out of South Dakota State. He was still physical as a rookie, but he wasn’t all that effective at times, finishing the season with just a 53.7 run-blocking grade.
McCormick broke his hand in Week 18 and missed the Steelers’ playoff loss to the Ravens. But he was praised for his communication skills this season as a rookie and seems to have a bright future in Pittsburgh.
No. 16 — Keeanu Benton, NT
Expectations were high entering Year 2 for Keeanu Benton, and unfortunately, he didn’t exactly live up to them. Benton had an up-and-down season, struggling against the run for much of the season but taking a step forward as a pass rusher. On the year, Benton had just one sack, but he generated 23 pressures and a pass-rush grade of 76.5 from PFF.
As a run defender, though, Benton was a mess. He had a grade of just 45.3 against the run and wasn’t as good as he was as a rookie, though he did have 22 run stops, up from 16 as a rookie. However, he was out of his gap quite a few times and wasn’t that penetrating, dominant force he was at times as a rookie.
Second-year slumps happen. Benton went through a tough season, but there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll bounce back in Year 3.
