We’re already into mid-February as the NFL offseason rolls along. Here at Steelers Depot, things are rolling right along toward the NFL Scouting Combine and then shortly after that the start of the new league year.
With that, we press on with the Ranking The Steelers’ Starters series, this being the post-season edition of the rankings.
There’s still a sour taste in the collective mouth of Steeler Nation regarding how the season ended with five straight losses, including another blowout loss in the playoffs, but at some point that taste will have to fade. Knowing that, 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. 9-7 after ranking No. 12-10, No. 15-13, 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
No. 15 — Elandon Roberts, ILB
No. 14 — Najee Harris, RB
No. 13 — Pat Freiermuth, TE
No. 12 — Patrick Queen, LB
No. 11 — Russell Wilson, QB
No. 10 — George Pickens, WR
Again, a reminder: 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. 9-7 today.
NO. 9 — MINKAH FITZPATRICK, S
Many are going to have issues with Fitzpatrick being inside the top 10 — and especially ahead of George Pickens — due to Fitzpatrick having just one interception on the season and the secondary’s communication issues. But Fitzpatrick was placed in a specific role as the deep safety and largely kept a lid on things.
He wasn’t really put in positions to truly impact the game like he has been in the past. That’s not to say he was great — far from it. He needs to be more impactful. But he was a very steady, dependable piece on the back end all season. Communication issues weren’t on him, either.
His 96 tackles for the second time in three seasons and a missed tackles rate of just 9.5% show how good he was in the tackling department. That missed tackles rate was behind only DeShon Elliott, Alex Highsmith and Cameron Heyward among starters on the Steelers’ defense.
NO. 8 — JOEY PORTER JR., CB
It wasn’t the second year that many envisioned for Porter, but it was still a solid one from a coverage aspect for the Steelers’ top cornerback. Porter allowed 49 receptions on 75 targets for 630 yards in 2024, but he was stout where it mattered most, allowing just one touchdown in coverage for the second season in a row.
Porter added an interception and had four pass breakups, too. Where he struggled most was with penalties, getting called for 15 on the season with five declined or offset. That’s a sky-high number, but with Porter’s physical style it’s going to happen. The six-flag game against the Cincinnati Bengals on the road was dreadful, but Porter bounced back nicely from it.
Even with some of the struggles, Porter remained a matchup problem for a number of receivers due to his physical, hands-on style. He’ll have a new DBs coach to work with in Gerald Alexander moving forward, and Year 3 is shaping up to be a pivotal one for him.
NO. 7 — ISAAC SEUMALO, LG
Readers will likely scoff at this, and that’s okay. Personally, I felt Isaac Seumalo was quite good in 2024. Though he missed some time to open the season with a pectoral injury, Seumalo returned in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys and gave the Steelers’ offensive line a big boost.
Seumalo played 826 snaps on the season and allowed just 26 total pressures and two sacks. He was also flagged just five times. He allowed the same number of pressures last season as he did in 2023 in his first season in the Black and Gold, and he did so while playing next to a rookie center and a veteran left tackle who completely collapsed in the second half in pass protection.
He’s not a flashy player, but he’s tough as nails and dependable, and is a key leader for a young offensive line that is going to undergo more changes this offseason.
