Pittsburgh Steelers relying on new blood to win in 2021
If the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to contend in 2021, it’ll largely be on the backs of new faces after a wild offseason.
In recent years, largely the same cast of characters have been leading the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not so much now.
After watching the departures of offensive linemen David DeCastro, Maurkice Pouncey, Matt Feiler and Alejandro Villanueva, running back James Conner, edge rusher Bud Dupree, and corners Mike Hilton and Steven Nelson, Pittsburgh has a new identity to some extent.
Yes, head coach Mike Tomlin, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and edge rusher T.J. Watt are the team’s faces, but with departures come arrivals. In the draft, Pittsburgh’s headliners including first-round running back Najee Harris and second-day tight end Pat Freiermuth. In recent free-agent signings, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert landed a pair of star veterans. Guard Trai Turner and edge rusher Melvin Ingram bring experience to fill the gap.
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Each have endured injury issues, but Turner and Ingram give Pittsburgh a chance to mitigate serious holes in its roster. For Turner, the opportunity provides a great chance to reestablish himself as one of the premier players at his position, per ESPN:
“I just look at it like it’s a new era, a different time, different place. Everything has an expiration date at some point. DeCastro is a great player, and I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m replacing him, I’m just the new right guard.
“I’m going to be the best Trai Turner I can be. I’ve been that since I was born June 14, 1993. That’s never changed. I’m not trying to emulate or be somebody else. I am not taking place of nobody else, I’m not replacing anything. I’m coming in, and I’m setting the tone for who I am and for what I do.”
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Meanwhile, Ingram, a three-time Pro Bowler from 2017-19 before being limited to seven games and zero sacks in 2020, is also looking for redemption. He believes he’s in the right spot, per NFL.com:
“I just felt like the program, the coaches, the team, everybody,” he said, “it was a place I felt like I could call home, a place I can come in and fit in. Everything was amazing here, down to the coaches, the players, the city, just how they do everything. They welcomed me with open arms.”
If a few rookies pan out, and the contributions of Turner and Ingram are significant, the Steelers might yet turn the AFC North into a three-team race alongside the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns.
If Turner and Ingram have their way, Pittsburgh’s mass exodus a few months ago won’t spell the end, but something new.
