Careers are on the line for these high-profile Steelers.
2020 will be an interesting year for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Many talented players are in the last year of their contracts. As it always is in the NFL, a few will have an opportunity to re-sign, others won’t, and some will experience ‘contract limbo.’ To get into that first group, these six high-profile players will need to perform in 2020.
Juju needs to come through (photo, Sporting News)
Juju Smith-Schuster: When the Steelers had Antonio Brown on the field, Smith-Schuster proved to be a high-level #2 receiver (1400+ yards and seven TDs in 2018). However, in his first year without Brown, Smith-Schuster’s productivity dropped significantly (500 yards and three TDs). Yes, poor QB play contributed to those numbers, but the bottom line is that Smith-Schuster needs to be more productive.
James Conner: In 2018, Conner made the Pro-Bowl with 1500+ total yards from scrimmage. But 2019 was a different story: he had only 700 total yards. The problem is Conner’s ability to stay healthy. He played in only six games last year and left several games before halftime. The Steelers need a reliable running back.
Ryan Switzer: A ‘depth’ wide receiver, Switzer only had 36 receptions for 253 yards during his best year in Pittsburgh (2018). His value to the team comes mainly via special teams play as a punt and kick returner. In 2019, injuries surfaced, and younger players took his place. Will Switzer win back his spot on the roster? To answer affirmatively, Switzer will need to improve his return game and prove that he can be a reliable, go-to receiver.
Ben needs to play like ‘Big Ben’ (photo, NY Daily News)
Ben Roethlisberger: Big Ben is the biggest name on this list. We all know that injury sidelined him in 2019. The big question now is whether Roethlisberger can return to 2018 form when he led the league in passing yards and had 34 TDs. At 38 years old and with a promising QB draft class for 2021, Ben will need to have a solid 2020 to remain a Steeler. What does ‘solid’ mean? He needs to come back and perform as a Top 15 QB. Otherwise, Ben’s days in Pittsburgh will likely be over.
Bud Dupree: Dupree’s breakout season in 2019 translated into a Franchise Tag for 2020. Why didn’t the Steelers sign him to a long-term contract? At issue is whether 2019 was the start of something big or a one-off anomaly. Overall, Dupree has averaged only five sacks and 33 tackles a season. Last year, he had 11.5 sacks and 68 tackles. While those are good numbers, more consistency needs to be shown by this former 1st round pick. There’s a lot on the line for Bud Dupree in 2020.
Stephon Tuitt: Tuitt was on a trajectory to have his best season last year (3.5 sacks and an 18.8% win-rate as a pass rusher), but those numbers were for six games only. Health issues sidelined him. The problem is that Tuitt has never played more than 79% of total defensive snaps, and 2016 was the last year he attained that level. If Tuitt can stay on the field and perform as he has in the past, he’ll likely remain a Steeler in 2021. ‘If” is the big word.
