The Pittsburgh Steelers are fully into offseason mode, and so are we here at Steelers Depot. With the Super Bowl matchup set and the East-West Shrine Bowl and the Senior Bowl now behind us, 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 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. 15-13 after looking at No. 18-16, 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
No. 18 — Donte Jackson, CB
No. 17 — Mason McCormick, RG
No. 16 — Keeanu Benton, NT
Again, a reminder: Mason McCormick is 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. 15-13 today.
No. 15 — Elandon Roberts, ILB
An old-school, two-down, downhill linebacker, Elandon Roberts saw his replacement drafted this season in rookie Payton Wilson and still ended up being one of the Steelers’ better defenders in 2024. Though he missed 10 tackles on the season, Roberts was largely the heart and soul of the defense.
The veteran dragged the Steelers into the fight physically at times and made some rather absurd plays. They included leaping over the goal line to force a fumble against Dallas, blowing up a pulling center against Cleveland, and serving as a stout run defender time and time again. He’s a liability in coverage, but he’s still darn good attacking downhill with force as a run defender, and he showed his worth once again.
Roberts stated he has no plans to leave Pittsburgh as a free agent this offseason, and hopefully the Steelers ensure that doesn’t happen with another contract for the 30-year-old linebacker.
No. 14 — Najee Harris, RB
Things started out very promising for Najee Harris in 2024, even after having his fifth-year option declined, putting him into a contract year. In the first half of the season, Harris appeared to be turning into the running back the Steelers were expecting when they drafted him in the first round in 2021.
Harris had three straight 100-yard games from Weeks 6-8 and was really getting on a roll. He was still that physical force for the Steelers, a battering ram between the tackles. But then, after the bye week, Harris and the Steelers’ run game slowed down in a major way. The offensive line got worse, and Harris looked like he was out of gas at times.
He still cracked 1,000 yards though, marking four straight years eclipsing that mark. But he went out with a whimper late in the season, potentially bringing his time in Pittsburgh to a disappointing close. Still, he was steady all season. You knew what you were getting on and off the field. The only real hiccup he had was the fumble in Philadelphia that changed that Week 15 game.
If he doesn’t fumble, who knows what happens there.
No. 13 — Pat Freiermuth, TE
Entering the season with a new contract extension and playing in a system that was supposed to be TE-friendly, which had him set up for a potentially monster year, Pat Freiermuth was a bit of a disappointment for the Steelers. Though he hauled in 65 passes for 653 yards and seven touchdowns, marking his best numbers since his rookie season, Freiermuth left a lot to be desired.
He struggled with drops late in the season, dropping a fourth-down throw in Week 18 against the Bengals and then dropping the first pass of the game in the Wild Card loss to the Ravens. He also had a pivotal fumble against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day that turned that game into a blowout.
Freiermuth made some strides as a blocker and had some success in the red zone, but he wasn’t as physical after the catch as he had been earlier in his career. He was stopped short too often on the year, including the playoff loss when he could not gain a yard after a checkdown against a defensive back.
A good tight end remains within Freiermuth, but he needs to find the consistency and fulfill his potential. Maybe Year 2 in Arthur Smith’s offense brings that out.
