To help wrap up the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 season, one that won’t be remembered well in the short- or long-term, I’m back with my annual Steelers awards. Nearly as important as the NFL Honors later this week. Nearly.
Like last year, we’ll run through the same categories of MVP, next year’s player to watch, biggest disappointment, and much more.
Offensive MVP – K Chris Boswell
Technically, Boswell is a specialist but I don’t think anyone will put up a fight about the selection (had it been strictly offense, I would’ve given it to C Zach Frazier, a beacon of hope for the o-line).
Boswell didn’t just have a great year. He had a historic one. His 41 fields are the most in team history and second-most in league history, Boswell on pace to break David Akers’ all-time mark until the very end of the season. Boswell was consistent and hit from distance, elevating himself above others in a golden era of kickers.
He won two games with his right foot alone, recording a pair of six-field goal performances against the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens in which no other Steeler scored. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and name first-team All-Pro, the latter something no kicker in team history has ever accomplished.
Mike Tomlin has had it good with a relative short list of quarterbacks but also a short list of kickers. Boswell is his best.
Defensive MVP – DL Cam Heyward
An easy pick here, especially considering how quiet T.J. Watt was to end the season. Counted out by many before the season and blasted after his contract extension, Heyward proved a long list of doubters wrong. And, I assume, kept all the receipts.
Like Boswell, Heyward’s season wasn’t just great at face value. It was historic. He had a season 35-year-old defensive tackles aren’t supposed to produce. By then, they’re either retired or have severely fallen off the cliff. Instead, Heyward notched eight sacks, second-most of any d-tackle his age or older, and played arguably the best run defense of his career for most of the season. His power is potent as ever and he was always around the ball, his 71 tackles the fourth-most of his career.
He batted balls like a defensive back, leading to stops and turnovers, while remaining as captain, leader, and face of the franchise. As much as we harp on his age, the best thing to say about Heyward is he makes us forget it.
Rookie of the Year – C Zach Frazier
So far, the awards have been predictable. ILB Payton Wilson and OG Mason McCormick had nice seasons, but Frazier is the clear winner. Taking over as starter on the literal final day of training camp, Frazier didn’t look back. It wasn’t a perfect rookie season, and his pass pro/recognition needs some work but he’s consistent, steady, and moves people in the running game. His ceiling is even higher than what I thought it was when drafted, viewing him as a Ben Jones 10-year-starter but not high-end center whose resume becomes riddled with accolades.
Now? He’s going to make Pro Bowls. A lot of Pro Bowls. Frazier was arguably snubbed as an alternate this year but recognition will come with time.
Biggest Surprise – Steelers’ Five-Game Collapse
And hey, maybe it shouldn’t be surprising given how daunting the schedule looked when released last May. Still, I don’t think many were anticipating the Steelers going from 10-3 and generating Super Bowl buzz to losing their final five games, including a lifeless playoff loss to extend their postseason drought.
It’s the first time Pittsburgh dropped five-straight since 1998. They were held at or under 17 points in every game, something that hadn’t occurred since 1969.
In a month, the Steelers went from contender to their worst stretch possibly since the merger. Now, they have to sit in it for an entire offseason and don’t have a clear path to getting better in 2025.
Biggest Disappointment – OT Broderick Jones
Jones’ season got off to a rocky start from the very beginning. Playing through an injury throughout training camp and the preseason, Jones lost his fire and his confidence. Rookie Troy Fautanu started over him in Week 2 in what was a quickly scrapped planned rotation at right tackle. Three penalties in one drive sent Jones to the bench the rest of the afternoon.
Jones got his job back the following week after Fautanu dislocated his kneecap and went down for the season. His play wasn’t much better, the 2023 first-round pick showing poor technique (his head is always in blocks), lack of finish, and oftentimes poor focus and missed assignments. Jones seemed frustrated with Zach Frazier throughout much of the season.
Things got better after the bye and Jones’ play steadied. Until the collapse when he and OT Dan Moore Jr. really struggled to pas protect. Likely flipping over to left tackle to replace a departing free agent in Moore, 2025 is a critical season for Jones to show real improvement. Moore showed tackles can take time to grow but Moore’s play was never as unsteady as it is with Jones right now.
Some may include FS Minkah Fitzpatrick here but at least he wasn’t bad. His season was average. Below his standards, no question, but he wasn’t a liability like Jones.
Most Underrated – ILB Elandon Roberts
Consideration to TE Darnell Washington and SS DeShon Elliott here. What you see is what you get with Roberts. An old-school player who truly could’ve played in any era, he’s an example of what the Steelers’ defense wants to be as a whole. Not quite there in the athletic profile but tough, physical, and fearless.
Roberts is a thumper against the run and plays all-out. He was one bounce of the ball and fumble recovery away from making the play of the season, his goal-line leap in the final seconds in a Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Pittsburgh sensed Roberts’ value and his snaps grew throughout the season, chipping into Payton Wilson’s work.
A pending free agent, he’ll be an important re-sign to keep a solid three-man rotation at inside linebacker.
Play of the Year – Payton Wilson Interception Against Ravens
There are several quality candidates to choose from, but Wilson’s interception carried the best combination of “wow” and weight. An incredible snag to take the ball out of RB Justice Hill’s hands for a takeaway that still doesn’t seem possible.
That washed out Russell Wilson’s pick the previous possession and was key in Pittsburgh beating Baltimore, 18-16, in Week 11. A moment that highlighted Payton Wilson’s athleticism and ability to rise to the occasion.
Honorable Mentions: Najee Harris’ TD run versus Raiders, George Pickens’ TD catch versus Commanders, Calvin Austin III’s punt return TD versus Giants, Cordarrelle Patterson’s TD catch versus Ravens, Mike Williams’ TD catch versus Commanders, Pat Freiermuth’s catch versus Jets, Beanie Bishop Jr.’s INTs versus Jets, Elandon Roberts’ leap versus Cowboys
Coach of the Year – ST Coordinator Danny Smith
Not a lot of options here. I’ll go with Smith, who had the Steelers’ special teams humming the first half of the year. Not just in Boswell’s success but the unit’s repeated splash plays. Blocked punts, blocked field goals, Austin’s punt return score, they played a critical role in Pittsburgh’s 10-3 start.
Sans Boswell, the unit faded the rest of the season, but Smith clears the low bar here.
2025 Player to Watch – OT Troy Fautanu & RB Jaylen Warren
Throwing two at you for next season. Fautanu is a clean slate after barely playing as a rookie, appearing in just two games from preseason through the playoffs. Pittsburgh was high on him as any recent rookie and hopefully its confidence and his results follow through next year. These young tackles have to develop.
With Najee Harris set to hit free agency, Warren figures to enter next season in a leading role. How well can he handle being 1A? The team will draft help and have a committee, but Warren could start the season as “the guy” as the Steelers feel out what they have in a rookie. A solid 2025 for Warren could result in a payday on the other side. Could he be the first Steelers back to receive a long-term deal since Willie Parker in 2006?
Best Addition – SS DeShon Elliott
Elliott was a shrewd and important signing we were high on at the time. But he surpassed expectations. Built for AFC North ball, Elliott was a hard-hitting and sure-tackling safety who allowed Minkah Fitzpatrick to play his regular safety role.
Elliott finished the season second on the team with 108 tackles, two forced fumbles, and a pick. Really solid pickup by Pittsburgh.
Worst Addition – CB Cam Sutton
Even worse than Cordarrelle Patterson, who at least made a great touchdown catch against the Ravens. Sutton is bad for two reasons. On the field, he was a mess. It wasn’t just rust he had to knock off. He was bad start to finish. Though still versatile, he can’t run or cover. Cheap as he was, the Steelers got what they paid for.
Couple that with the rightful heat they took for signing Sutton in the first place just months after running from police for domestic violence, it was a terrible look on and off the field.
Most Notable Storyline – Quarterback: Past, Present, And Future
Name of the game is quarterback. Pittsburgh’s still searching for answers. Out went the old room of Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitch Trubisky. Which, fair. That room wasn’t going to cut it. Pittsburgh got creative and took advantage of unique situations to land Russell Wilson and Justin Fields on the cheap.
The hope was 2024 would offer clarity for 2025. Ultimately, things are still muddied. Fields started the first six games and progressed but didn’t elevate the offense to what it needs. Wilson briefly achieved it but crashed back to Earth as the team and offense bottomed out.
Figuring out which one returns, and on what kind of contract, is the team’s first order of business in 2025. But it’s hardly the finale of this team’s quarterback saga when the reality is its long-term option is probably someone in college right now.
Most Missed – WR George Pickens
Tough one here. The Steelers hardly lost any free agents, offering a slim and unimpressive list of names. So I’ll pivot to players injured midseason. There wasn’t a Cam Heyward-type of multi-month injury at play here. At least, not to anyone who changed the course of the season (RG James Daniels was a blow but Mason McCormick filled in admirably).
I’ll land on Pickens and three games he sat out with his hamstring injury. A one-legged Steelers passing game had nothing without the threat of Pickens and the results showed. Pickens is a headache and unlikely to receive a long-term deal, but his absence reminded of his talent, value, and Pittsburgh’s mistakes failing to add adequate help after trading Diontae Johnson.
