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Now that the 2023 NFL season is on the horizon, the talking heads are all weighing in on All-Pro picks, season records, and award predictions. And that means it’s time for the annual Pittsburgh Steelers version.
I’ve been doing this at BTSC for a couple of years, and we usually do it in two steps: first, the traditional awards (e.g. MVP, Rookie of the Year), and the second invented by me (e.g. “Weakest Link” and “Unsung Hero”). This is round 1: Traditional Awards.
I’ll include a short descriptor for each, and I’ll make a case for who I’ve picked below, but I’ve also included a poll for each listing, including “other” as an option (in case you feel like I missed an important choice). My goal, as always, is to start a few debates in the comments section, and maybe help get Steelers Nation fired up and ready for the long haul ahead.
We’ll revisit this at mid-season, and then again at the end of the year. But for now, please vote in the polls, make arguments in the comments, and let’s see where it takes us. On with the show. Go Steelers.
MVP
Whether it’s NFL MVP or Super Bowl MVP, league voters are often wildly inconsistent in how they define “most valuable.” For my part, I think of MVP as somewhere between “the team’s best player” and “the hardest to replace.” That is, the guy who, if you lost him you’d feel it the most; not just because his backups are bad, but because he brings something you can’t get anywhere else.
Poll
Most Valuable Player
This poll is closed
-
32%
Kenny Pickett
(121 votes) -
1%
Najee Harris
(4 votes) -
2%
George Pickens
(11 votes) -
2%
Cam Heyward
(9 votes) -
55%
T.J. Watt
(207 votes) -
4%
Minkah Fitzpatrick
(18 votes) -
1%
Other
(4 votes)
My pick: T.J. Watt.
T.J. Watt is the best defensive player in the NFL and should have been named league MVP the last time he played a full season (see my argument about this here). Kenny Pickett looks like he’s making a hell of a sophomore leap, but this is a different team when #90 is on the field. He’s my (projected) MVP.
Offensive Player of the Year
I think of OPOY (or DPOY) as the player having the finest season. Stats matter (especially with OPOY) but so does the eyeball test. Which player will have the most impressive season in 2023?
Poll
OPOY
This poll is closed
-
55%
Kenny Pickett
(203 votes) -
8%
Najee Harris
(31 votes) -
26%
George Pickens
(97 votes) -
4%
Diontae Johnson
(15 votes) -
2%
Calvin Austin III
(8 votes) -
1%
Pat Freiermuth
(7 votes) -
0%
Other
(3 votes)
My pick: Kenny Pickett.
There is a lot to be cautiously excited about on this offense. But in terms of individual shine, it’s oddly depth that brings down everyone except Pickett: Harris won’t carry the team because he seems likely to share carries with Jaylen Warren; the pass-catchers will split the targets; the OL is a unit. And then there’s Kenny F’ing Pickett.
I haven’t seen one thing from Pickett this offseason that I didn’t like on the field. But more importantly, I think he’s playing the role of team leader as well as I’ve ever seen from a second-year kid. If this offense steps forward, it’ll be because Pickett takes them there. I think he’s ready.
Defensive Player of the Year
Stats can affect DPOY, but with interior linemen eating up blockers and shutdown corners never being challenged, the eyeball test is at least as important. Who will be the most impressive defender in black and gold?
Poll
DPOY
This poll is closed
-
6%
Cam Heyward
(22 votes) -
76%
T.J. Watt
(272 votes) -
5%
Alex Highsmith
(19 votes) -
0%
Patrick Peterson
(0 votes) -
0%
Joey Porter Jr.
(2 votes) -
1%
Kwon Alexander
(6 votes) -
9%
Minkah Fitzpatrick (omitted in the initial posting)
(33 votes) -
0%
Other
(0 votes)
My pick: Minkah Fitzpatrick.
This is probably T.J.’s award again, but I like to share the wealth, and the talking heads have been very quiet in their praise of Minkah this summer — so I’m throwing some hardware in the direction of the NFL’s best safety. The various additions of defensive backs and ILBs should help Minkah too, allowing him to move around. I predict that he’s a menace this year. He’s my DPOY.
Steelers’ Rookie of the Year
This is always tough to predict. For every 2003, with Mike Logan starting all year and Troy Polamalu on the bench, there’s a 2013, with Larry Foote’s preseason injury and sixth-round rookie Vince Williams in the lineup all year. This year, though, feels like a season where a rookie will be a legit star for the Steelers.
Poll
Rookie of the Year
This poll is closed
-
0%
Broderick Jones
(3 votes) -
34%
Joey Porter Jr.
(118 votes) -
27%
Keeanu Benton
(94 votes) -
10%
Darnell Washington
(36 votes) -
26%
Nick Herbig
(89 votes) -
0%
Spencer Anderson
(1 vote) -
0%
Other
(0 votes)
My pick: Keeanu Benton.
I love how many legit choices there are here. I’m going with Benton because I expect him to hit the field the earliest, to be the most consistently productive, and to be a legit starter by season’s end. If I’m right about this, I suspect Benton’s rookie year could look a little like Lamarr Woodley’s — where he plays a fair amount from the jump, comes on in December, and explodes in year 2 — except that Benton could even be on a faster trajectory, since he’s likely to start at nose this year, where Woodley came off the bench at first. (Note: I also expect Benton to slide over to DE within a year or two.) In any case, he’s got tons of potential no matter where they put him.
JPJ may wind up starting this year too, and I expect the Georgia Bulldogs (Darnell Washington and Broderick Jones) to get plenty of snaps as well. Even Nick Herbig is pushing for a spot. But Benton is my prediction.
Newcomer of the Year
With the Steelers making a splash in the free agency and trading market this season, I wanted to acknowledge that not all newcomers who matter are rookies. Who’s going to be the best pickup this season?
Poll
Newcomer of the Year
This poll is closed
-
64%
Isaac Seumalo
(204 votes) -
3%
Allen Robinson
(11 votes) -
5%
Cole Holcomb
(18 votes) -
0%
Markus Golden
(1 vote) -
10%
Patrick Peterson
(33 votes) -
12%
Kwon Alexander
(40 votes) -
0%
Keanu Neal
(3 votes) -
1%
Desmond King
(5 votes) -
0%
Other
(1 vote)
My pick: Keanu Neal
So many options here too. I’m going with one who hasn’t been talked about much this summer. For what it’s worth, my heart wants to go with Desmond King (I’ve been beating the drum for several years that the Steelers never adequately replaced Mike Hilton at the slot; this might actually be an answer to that), but I don’t know if he’ll hit the field right away. Meanwhile, I also considered Patrick Peterson (who I expect to have a similar effect on the secondary that Joe Haden once had), as well as Markus Golden (who frees up T.J. Watt to stay fresh in a way that Anthony Chickillo never did). Isaac Seumalo and Kwon Alexander also figure to be forces at OL and ILB.
But I’m going with Keanu Neal because (a) I expect Minkah Fitzpatrick to move around the field more this year, and veteran defenders will make that possible, (b) Neal is a good hitter who has even played linebacker, and that probably makes him a more natural box safety than Damontae Kazee or Minkah, and (c) Kazee got hurt last year, and so it seems really crucial to have a third safety who can play. Give me Neal. Give me all of these guys, but give me Neal for this award.
Comeback Player of the Year
The Steelers don’t have a lot of guys returning from significant injury, so I’m thinking of this as both “comeback from injury” and “comeback from poor play.”
Poll
Comeback/Improved Player of the Year
This poll is closed
-
27%
T.J. Watt
(81 votes) -
2%
Damontae Kazee
(6 votes) -
60%
Calvin Austin III
(181 votes) -
5%
Dan Moore Jr. (re: improved)
(16 votes) -
3%
Pressley Harvin (re: improved)
(9 votes) -
1%
Other
(5 votes)
My Choice: T.J. Watt.
This was a hard category to come up with candidates for. But it was the easiest decision to make. I like all the choices here, for various reasons, but (much as I hate giving multiple awards to one guy) T.J. is the man at this spot. #90 was never really himself last year, but the Steelers still went 8-2 with him and 1-6 without him. If he can play anything remotely like T.J. Watt, he can be NFL DPOY and CPOY. And he’s certainly got my award here.
Steelers’ Breakout Player
This is different than “comeback” because these players aren’t guys who’ve proven they can play, then regressed or been injured, only to resurge this year. Instead, they’re players who I predict will come out of nowhere (or in some cases, out of mediocrity) and stand at the cusp of greatness. These are players who are becoming stars this season.
Poll
Breakout Player
This poll is closed
-
38%
Kenny Pickett
(114 votes) -
31%
George Pickens
(93 votes) -
21%
Calvin Austin III
(63 votes) -
5%
Pat Freiermuth
(17 votes) -
2%
Cole Holcomb
(7 votes) -
0%
Mark Robinson
(2 votes) -
0%
Other
(2 votes)
The winner: Calvin Austin III.
Okay, I confess: this is probably Kenny Pickett’s award (and I expect him to win the poll). But I still like sharing the wealth, and I want to point to Calvin Austin too. Austin is, for all intents and purposes, a rookie this year, and looks every bit as exciting as I thought he’d look last season. Every time he touches the ball, he looks like he might go all the way. We’ve seen fast and dynamic players in Pittsburgh before (Willie Parker, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant), but I can’t remember anyone who looks three inches from a house call on every single touch. The former track star is electric, and I would not be surprised to see him emerge as a Darren Sproles one-man lightningstorm this year.
Assistant Coach of the Year
The Steelers have one of the smallest coaching staffs in the NFL, but they’re a good one. Each of the guys below is leading a group that either looks vastly improved this offseason, of needs to improve for the team to make the leap. Who do you expect to cheer loudest for this fall?
Poll
Assistant Coach of the Year
This poll is closed
-
23%
Teryl Austin (Def. Coordinator)
(62 votes) -
26%
Matt Canada (Off. Coordinator)
(69 votes) -
27%
Pat Meyer (OL Coach)
(73 votes) -
9%
Aaron Curry (ILB Coach)
(25 votes) -
1%
Frisman Jackson (WR Coach)
(4 votes) -
5%
Mike Sullivan (QB Coach)
(14 votes) -
4%
Glenn Thomas ("Assist. Offensive Coach")
(11 votes) -
2%
Other
(6 votes)
The winner: Pat Meyer.
This one is also tricky. Can it possibly be Matt Canada? Will Glenn Thomas emerge as a favorite? Will Aaron Curry get credit for the giant improvement at ILB? I’m going with Pat Meyer because I thought he did a great job last year, and now has an even better squad. A coach who can make lemonade from lemons is a great thing to have; but what can that guy do when you give him the top shelf behind the bar? I think Pat Meyer will show us this year.
Game of the Year
Poll
Game of the Year (projected)
This poll is closed
-
15%
Wk 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers
(40 votes) -
3%
Wk 2: vs. Cleveland Browns (on MNF)
(10 votes) -
13%
Wk 5: vs. Baltimore Ravens (just before bye week)
(35 votes) -
30%
Wk 16: vs Cincinnati Bengals
(80 votes) -
35%
Wk 18: at Baltimore Ravens (final game of season)
(94 votes) -
1%
Other
(5 votes)
My Choice: Week 5 vs. Baltimore Ravens.
Last year when I wrote this article, I struggled to find a game that really rang my bell. This year, it’s the opposite. What’s more, EVERY division game feels like a thunderstorm, but I’ll go with the Ravens tilt in Week 5, which is the end of a four-game stretch of very winnable contests, and comes right before the bye. Win this one and the Steelers could conceivably hit their week off at 4-1 or 5-0, with two division wins in their pockets (since that would assume they beat Cleveland in week 2 as well).
As Ryan Clark always says, it doesn’t matter what happens before the Steelers and Ravens play; you want the bye week afterward, and the Steelers get it this year. So this game has a ton of implications for the division standings, the AFC seeding, the health of the team, the momentum of the season, and the best rivalry in football.
This is my game of the year.
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