Pittsburgh Steelers Are Still A Superbowl Contender Sans Polamalu


Last year, the Steelers playoff run ended at the hands of their hated arch-rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. Were the Ravens really the better team? Well, maybe, but it sure didn’t help that the Steeler’s star running back, Le’Veon Bell, missed the big game with an injury.

The Steelers will start the 2015-16 season much like they ended the 2014-15 one: facing a tough AFC opponent with Le’Veon Bell riding the bench. But in many other ways, the Steelers will look a whole lot different.

Who They Lost

Longtime fans will notice three names missing from the roster for the first time in years: S Troy Polamalu, DE Brett Keisel, and CB Ike Taylor. The good news, though, is that these players are likely to leave a bigger hole in the hearts of fans than they will in the Steelers defense. All three were losing effectiveness with age. The Steelers also parted ways with RB Ben Tate, CB Brice McCain, OLB Jason Worilds, WR Justin Brown, WR Lance Moore, and TE Michael Palmer.

The Steelers also said goodbye to defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. LeBeau was with the Steelers for a decade, but his defense was sub-par for the past few years. Hopefully, a new regime can pick things up.

Rookies

The Steelers made out like bandits in this year’s NFL draft, snatching outside linebacker and University of Kentucky product Alvin Dupree with the 22nd pick. That’s a steal for the team, which as in dire need of new pass rusher. The Steelers also added two cornerbacks, Senquez Golson (Ole Miss) and Doran Grant (Ohio State) with their picks in the second and fourth rounds, respectively. On offense, they added Auburn WR Sammy Coates in the third round and Penn State TE Jesse James in the fifth. They rounded out their draft with DT Leterrius Walton, DE Anthony Chickillo, and S Gerod Holliman.

The team has also been fairly active in signing undrafted rookie free agents:

  1. Cameron Clear, TE, Mississippi State
  2. Nigel Crawford-Kinner, DT, Saint Augustines
  3. Dominique Davis, DE, Liberty University
  4. Miles Dieffenback, G, Penn State
  5. Reese Dismukes, G, Auburn
  6. B.J. Finney, C, Kansas State
  7. Tyler Murphy, WR, Boston College
  8. Brandon Prate, DE, Illinois State
  9. Collin Rahrig, G, Indiana
  10. Eli Rogers, WR, Louisville
  11. Ross Scheuerman, RB, Lafayette (PA)
  12. Kevin Whimpey, T, Utah State

Of the rookies, the clear impact player is Dupree. Keep an eye out for the cornerbacks, as well – they should improve the Steelers secondary and could also help out on special teams.

Free Agents

The Steelers tend to avoid big-name free agents, and this season was no exception. Their most notable signing was veteran RB DeAngelo Williams. Williams is getting older but is still capable of big plays. It’s not a depth move (Williams only played six games last year and may be an injury risk), but Williams has significant upside. The Steelers also signed a punter (Jordan Berry), a backup quarterback (Tajh Boyd), and a long snapper (Brandon Hartson).

The Outlook

So what does all this mean for the Steelers? They should be a competitive team in 2015, just like they were in 2014, but they have their work cut out for them. The Steelers have the toughest schedule in the league (based on opponent’s 2014 win percentage) and play in a very competitive division. The Bengals will be good, the Browns will be better, and the Ravens will remain the Steelers’ biggest obstacle in the division. The Steelers also play last year’s Super Bowl champs, the Patriots, in the season opener on September 10. Patriots QB Tom Brady will likely remain suspended for that game, but the Steelers will be missing Le’Veon Bell, who will also be serving a suspension.

Tickets to the opener go on sale July 15. Single game tickets to all other regular-season games are already on sale. Winning the division is possible for this team, despite the stiff competition. Gaining at least a wild card berth should be a minimum expectation for a team with this kind of talent. Once in the playoffs, the Steelers have a real chance – in the AFC, only Baltimore is noticeably better than Pittsburgh, and New England and Denver are both worse than in years past. Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, but Steelers fans should be in for an exciting season – and, hopefully, a deep playoff run.

[Image via Getty Images]

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