The Pittsburgh Steelers season ended on a sour note, losing five straight games and exiting in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens. But there were still a few standout performances on the team. ESPN analytics writer Seth Walder created a hypothetical 100-player MVP ballot based on value, which he defines as “the difference between a player and an average starter at that player’s position.” Three Steelers, OLB T.J. Watt, DL Cameron Heyward, and K Chris Boswell, made the 100-player ballot given their success in 2024.
Walder had Watt ranked at No. 27, which made him the highest-graded Steelers player on the list. He finished one spot behind San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy and ahead of San Francisco 49ers LB Fred Warner, Kansas City Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie, and Los Angeles Rams WR Puka Nacua, who finished No. 28-30.
Watt finished as the fourth-ranked EDGE on the list, behind Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals, Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, and Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys. Hendrickson placed No. 12, Garrett placed No. 13, and Parsons ranked No. 19. It wasn’t a year with the sort of production that Watt is used to, as he had 11.5 sacks, his lowest in a full season since his rookie year. He still was named a Second-Team All-Pro.
Heyward finished No. 49, with Walder praising his eight batted passes (he had 11 passes defensed in total) and saying that he received “almost universally positive” feedback from sources. Walder dinged Heyward for not ranking at the top of his position in disruption metrics, citing his 8% pass-rush win rate, which ranked 27th among defensive tackles, and 24 pressures, which was 17th. Still, it was an incredibly impressive year for Heyward, and a top-50 placement in an MVP ballot, fake or not, in his age-35 season shows what type of year he had.
Boswell may have been the most valuable Steelers player in terms of their winning efforts, as his consistency in kicking buoyed an offense that had some struggles this season. Boswell finished as the highest-placed kicker because he made 7.3 field goals over expectation, per Walder, which put him ahead of Brandon Aubrey. Boswell and Heyward were both First-Team All-Pro
It comes as no surprise that the Steelers failed to have any offensive players make the list, as Boswell may have been their most valuable weapon when it came to scoring. Pittsburgh didn’t really have a standout offensive player, and the offense’s struggles played a big part in their five-game losing streak down the stretch. Watt, Heyward, and Boswell all had strong seasons, and they get their flowers here from Walder even though his ballot doesn’t actually count for anything.
