A Perfect Pair: Matching up current and former Steelers to make a deadly duo

Oh, the possibilities…

As the 2021 NFL offseason rages on, there are plenty of draft breakdowns and rookie mini camp updates to keep most fans going just enough to keep the NFL relevant. Taking a break from those things, it’s time to just sit back and dream. What if we could take members of the current Steelers roster and pair them up with any other member of the franchise throughout its history? Which ones would be the best?

I decided to drop my top five and give others a chance to voice what pairs they would like to see. The criteria is simple: One player currently on the Steelers roster and another player at any time in the past who would work together either by completing a position group or some other connection. So here are my top five, counting down to number one.

5. Ben Roethlisberger & Mike Webster

When it came to finding a dynamic pair on the offensive side of the ball, the question game down to Ben Roethlisberger and…? Swan? Stallworth? These were all good choices, but I ultimately decided with the original Steelers Iron Man of Mike Webster. Seeing Webster hike the ball to Roethlisberger and for the two men to lead that offense for as long as they both have played would really be something Yes, Roethlisberger had a similar connection with Maurkice Pouncey, but this is the best duo I found on offense.

4. Cam Heyward & Joe Greene

Although both these players had quality teammates playing beside them on the defensive line, imagining the two together is enough to get any Steelers fan’s heart pounding. Whether it be Stephon Tuitt, Ernie Holmes, or John Banaszak, they’ve all been made better playing opposite of either Cam Heyward or Mean Joe Greene. If only these two could have played in the same era at the same time it would have really been something.

3. T.J Watt & Kevin Green

It’s hard to argue against T.J. Watt being the best player on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster. While pairing him up opposite of a number of players would make for dangerous possibilities, I ultimately went with a player who also played in a 3-4 defense. While Jack Ham was awful tempting as a 4–3 outside linebacker, he likely would have been an inside linebacker if he was playing in the Steelers current scheme. Therefore, Hall of Fame outside linebacker Kevin Green paired with Watt would have been an absolute thing of beauty.

2. Joe Haden & Mel Blount

Taking the best cornerback to play for the Steelers in quite some time and pairing him up with the all-time greatest at the position is a no brainer. Joe Haden and Mel Blount in the same secondary playing cornerback would be something dreams are made of.

1. Minkah Fitzpatrick & Troy Polamalu

I couldn’t help myself by ranking this with number one. Taking two-time All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and putting him at safety with Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu would very well be the best tandem to ever play the position, past, present, or future. The abilities of the other would give them both so much freedom in the secondary where they would haunt quarterbacks dreams for decades after leaving the NFL.

So there are my top five pairs of current and former Steelers. How did I do? Did I get the right pairings? Were they in the right order? Feel free to leave your top five in the comments below.