Will the Steelers have a player make their first Pro Bowl in 2022?

T.J. Watt. Cam Heyward. Najee Harris. Diontae Johnson.

There are still others to add to the list…

Minkah Fitzpatrick. Chris Boswell. Gunner Olszewski. Mitch Trubisky.

These are all players who are on the Steelers 2022 roster who have previously been selected to the Pro Bowl. Two of these players, Gunner Olszewski and Mitch Trubisky, were selected with other teams before arriving in Pittsburgh. As for the others, they have represented the Pittsburgh Steelers as a selection to the team.

Will there be any new players to add to this list after the 2022 season?

This was a topic which was discussed on the most recent episode of The Scho Bro Show podcast. Will the Steelers have a first-time Pro Bowl player in 2022? If so, who is the most likely candidate?

Both myself and Big Bro Scho laid out our top five candidates from the Steelers to be selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2022. Here were our top five lists:

Dave

5. Devin Bush
4. Kenny Pickett
3. James Daniels
2. Myles Jack
1. Pat Freiermuth

Rich (Big Bro Scho)

5. Devin Bush
4. James Daniels
3. Ahkello Witherspoon
2. Chase Claypool
1. Pat Freiermuth

*Note: Last season we each had a selection from out top five make the Pro Bowl for the first time in Najee Harris (Dave’s choice) and Diontae Johnson (Rich’s choice).

There are a variety of reasons to select certain players in various positions. For a player like Chase Claypool, being selected as a wide receiver may be more difficult because his own teammate, Diontae Johnson, is also a candidate. For this reason, players such as Alex Highsmith, Tyson Alualu, and Larry Ogunjobi didn’t even make the list as they would likely have to beat out their teammates in T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward who each have multiple Pro Bowl selections.

Other players on the list face a challenge of being selected for various reasons. James Daniels could have an outstanding year for the Steelers and still not get selected to the Pro Bowl as name recognition is key with the offensive line. In many cases, offensive linemen make the Pro Bowl one year after they should for this reason. The choice of Kenny Pickett on the list has everything to do if he plays so well he wins the job for the Steelers in camp. If that is the case, he will have a realistic shot at the Pro Bowl if he is playing to that level. But on the other side of things, Pickett may see very limited action his rookie year. As for Ahkello Witherspoon, he put up great interception numbers in 2021 in his limited action, but will his struggles in run defense keep him from being a full-time player? Myles Jack could give a boost to the Steelers inside linebackers, but do Steelers’ fans even know what to expect as he makes the move from Jacksonville?

Some positions are more difficult to make the Pro Bowl simply based on other players within the conference. With Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce both being in the AFC, it will be difficult for a player like Pat Freiermuth to get the nod as there are only two tight end selections per conference.

Regardless, the Steelers players have just as much chance to earn Pro Bowl honors in 2022 as other players throughout the league. Although ultimately it is not the most desirable outcome to play in the game as it has been moved to before the Super Bowl rather than after, a player being selected still counts. And for the 2022 season, it is not even certain if they will play the game as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hinted at coming up with another way to have the players participate in an activity since the game itself has been so far removed from looking like actual football.

So will the Steelers have a player make the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2022? If so, who do you think it will be? Make sure you vote in the pole and leave your thoughts in the comments below.

If you wish to check of the episode of The Sch Bro Show where the topic was discussed, it can be heard below.