Pittsburgh Steelers Roster 2019 Steelers Roster

Top 3 Steelers Roster Questions of 2019-2020

Time to Step Up

Can Juju Smith-Schuster take the next step and become an elite WR1?

Last year, we witnessed both on and off field drama from the Pittsburgh Steelers between Juju Smith-Schuster, Antonio Brown, and Ben Roethlisberger. For the Steelers’ sake, let’s hope everything finally got sorted out during the offseason. In his first Pro Bowl season, Smith-Schuster went from good to great, leading the team in receptions and yards. Without Brown in the picture, we can only expect those numbers to increase even more.

Smith-Schuster was target 87 more times than in his 2017 rookie season and broke out for a 1,426 receiving yard season. He accumulated only 7 TD’s which should undoubtedly go up in 2019. One of the most enjoyable players to watch in 2018, I expect Smith-Schuster to garner significantly more targets, reach 1,500+ receiving yards, and record at least 10 TD’s. His ceiling for next year is huge and there’s a chance he could be crowned as the best wide receiver of 2019.

Filling the Void Left by Antonio Brown

Will the addition of Donte Moncrief give Ben Roethlisberger another target in the passing game?

With Antonio Brown gone, what have the Steelers done to change their wide receiver core? Smith-Schuster has moved into the WR1 slot and Donte Moncrief was brought in to essentially fill his spot. Coming over from the Jacksonville Jaguars, Moncrief brings energy and another weapon to Big Ben’s aresenal. Pittsburgh will look for him to play a significant role whenever defenses focus on Smith-Schuster and be a mentor in what appears to be a young receiving group.

While Moncrief certaintly won’t be expected to produce like Brown, the Steelers can expect a solid 600 yard season with around 5 TD catches. Ever since his rookie year, Moncrief’s stats have been trending down. With the exception of last year, he’s career has been plagued with injuries and his catch rate has declined every year. In his first year in the league, Moncrief caught 65.3% of his catches and last year, resided at 53.9%. That’s a far cry from the potential he once held as a rookie and will have to be better for the Steelers to get their money’s worth.

Step Up Rook

How can the Steelers fill the void of losing their defensive quarterback in Ryan Shazier?

Ryan Shazier has been a staple of the Pittsburgh organization ever since he was drafted. He became an icon and cherished by fans of the organization from his heart and passion for the game. Unfortunately, his injury finally got the better of him and will no longer be able to play again in his career. To fix this glaring hole, the Steelers moved up in the draft and selected linebacker, Devin Bush with the 10th overall pick.

Bush and the rest of the Steelers’ linebacking core will be expected to fill Shazier’s void and become the quarterback(s) of the defense. Bush, himself, is expected to play one of the outside linebacker spots and has the skills needed to do so. He was a standout linebacker at Michigan and ran a 4.42 40 yard dash. Expect Pittsburgh to use him both in coverage and rushing the quarterback. Though it’s always difficult to predict how college players transition to the NFL, Bush is the ideal linebacker and projects to be part of the Steelers’ rotation for years to come.