What an interesting offseason the Pittsburgh Steelers have had. From the DK Metcalf trade and extension, and the Aaron Rodgers saga, to the DeShon Elliott and T.J. Watt extensions and the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade, the Steelers have been anything but boring.
All the boxes have been checked after Watt’s extension news Thursday. Now, all that’s left to do now is wait for the start of training camp next week.
In my best Lee Corso impersonation: Not so fast, my friends!
Things may quiet down for a few days, but I still have my Ranking The Steelers’ Starters series to work through here at Steelers Depot. We’re drawing close to the end, too.
This is the starting lineup that I am projecting the Steelers will roll out in Week 1 on the road against the New York Jets.
*indicates players already ranked in the series
Offense
QB — Aaron Rodgers
RB — Jaylen Warren
WR — DK Metcalf
WR — Calvin Austin III
TE — Pat Freiermuth
TE — Jonnu Smith
LT — Broderick Jones
LG — Isaac Seumalo
C — Zach Frazier
RG — Mason McCormick
RT — Troy Fautanu
Defense
DE — Cameron Heyward
NT — Keeanu Benton
DE — Derrick Harmon
OLB — T.J. Watt
ILB — Patrick Queen
ILB — Payton Wilson
OLB — Alex Highsmith
CB — Joey Porter Jr.
CB — Darius Slay
DB — Jalen Ramsey
S — DeShon Elliott
Specialists
K — Chris Boswell
P — Cameron Johnston
Now that the projected starting lineup for this series out of the way, let’s look at a quick rundown of the Ranking The Starters series so far.
No. 24 — Broderick Jones, LT
No. 23 — Troy Fautanu, RT
No. 22 — Calvin Austin III, WR
No. 21 — Cameron Johnston, P
No. 20 — Derrick Harmon, DE
No. 19 — Mason McCormick, RG
No. 18 — Keeanu Benton, NT
No. 17 — Darius Slay, CB
No. 16 — Jaylen Warren, RB
No. 15 — Payton Wilson, ILB
No. 14 — Patrick Queen, ILB
No. 13 — Aaron Rodgers, QB
No. 12 — Pat Freiermuth, TE
No. 11 — Joey Porter Jr., CB
No. 10 — Jonnu Smith, TE
No. 9 — Isaac Seumalo, LG
No. 8 — Jalen Ramsey, DB
No. 7 — DK Metcalf, WR
Today, let’s look at No. 6-4 in the Ranking the Steelers’ Starters edition.
NO. 6 — DESHON ELLIOTT, S
What a pleasant surprise DeShon Elliott was in Year 1 with the Steelers. Coming over from Miami as a free agent, Elliott was expected to be a steady performer as a box safety. What the Steelers got instead was a standout weapon defensively.
Elliott was a force around the line of scrimmage in the run game and also strong in coverage. His presence helped the Steelers have a formidable safety tandem with Minkah Fitzpatrick last season, and his play earned him a contract extension this offseason, keeping him in the Black and Gold long term.
Now, with Fitzpatrick traded to Miami, a lot will fall on Elliott at safety.
NO. 5 — ZACH FRAZIER, C
Some of you reading this might scoff at where Zach Frazier is in the rankings and that is perfectly fine. At first glance, it seems a bit high. But Frazier was outstanding as a rookie and his future appears incredibly bright.
The West Virginia product stepped right into the starting lineup to open the 2024 season and grabbed hold of the job. He was terrific in the run game, moving defenders and sealing lanes for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. That was to be expected though based on his college tape with the Mountaineers.
Where he was most impressive was in pass protection. He allowed just one sack and 12 pressures on the season, and that sack came on a stunt inside from Cleveland’s Myles Garrett. Not a bad player to give a sack up to.
Entering Year 2, Frazier is the leader of the young group and seems like the true building block in the trenches for the Black and Gold.
NO. 4 — ALEX HIGHSMITH, OLB
When he’s healthy and on the field, there are few more complete outside linebackers in the NFL than Alex Highsmith. Last season he proved that once again, though he missed chunks of time with a groin and ankle injury.
In 11 games, Highsmith had 6.0 sacks and 48 pressures in 300 pass-rush snaps. That’s pretty efficient and productive work. It wasn’t just rushing the passer, either. Highsmith finished as the eighth-highest graded EDGE defender in football last season, helped by a 78.3 run-defense grade.
He sets the edge well, plays with force and is a good tackler. Even while playing at a high level when on the field, Highsmith still doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Hopefully that starts to happen this season.
