As the NFL season is (hopefully) fast approaching, now is a good time to label three players as the “faces of the franchise” entering the season. This installment will focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team looking to stay healthy and maximize their sky-high potential. Remember, this isn’t simply the best three players on the team. Instead, this list focuses on the three players who get the most attention on the national level. Everyone will recognize these three players as integral parts to any success the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers will have.
Faces of the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers
Ben Roethlisberger
The 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers will go as far as returning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will take them. For that reason, he is at the top of this list. Roethlisberger has been one of the faces of the franchise for every season since 2004. In 2019, the Steelers showed us that an elite defense will only take a team too far. Supporting a top-three defense with a bottom-three offense isn’t enough to become true contenders. Insert Roethlisberger.
Of course, there are justified questions surrounding the health of Roethlisberger. After all, he is 38 years old and coming off major elbow surgery. But there’s a reason he is the favorite to be the 2020 Comeback Player of the Year. As long as he stays healthy, Roethlisberger is returning to an offense full of young potential. The oldest of the team’s top four wide receivers is just 24 years old. The offensive line is still solid, the running back room is dynamic, and new addition Eric Ebron will likely have a big role in the red zone.
There’s no controversy here. Most teams will have a quarterback as one of the faces of their franchise. This is no different for the future Hall-0f-Famer at the helm of the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers.
Minkah Fitzpatrick
The addition of Minkah Fitzpatrick prior to Week 3 of the 2019 season completely turned the Steelers defense around. They got shredded through the first two weeks of the season. After adding Fitzpatrick, the defense finished the year as a consensus top-five unit in the NFL. His five interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and 46.3 passer rating while targeted were good enough to earn Fitzpatrick first-team All-Pro honors in 2019.
Entering 2020, the high expectations for Fitzpatrick are more than justified. He’ll have a full year of chemistry built with his teammates in the Steelers secondary. Along with that, Fitzpatrick is likely to remain the team’s single-high safety, rather than bouncing around the way he did in Miami. This continuity will allow a player as smart as Fitzpatrick to get comfortable and really make an impact in his first full season with the team.
There’s an argument to be made that Fitzpatrick isn’t a face of the Steelers, at least not yet. Depending on the criteria that defines “face”, that is a fair argument. He has only been with the team for 14 games. As good as he is, when people think “Steelers,” Minkah Fitzpatrick might not be one of the first three players they think of. But all things considered, he deserves a spot on this list. Entering just his third year in the NFL, Fitzpatrick has already established himself as one of the best safeties in the league and the anchor to the back end of an elite defense.
T.J. Watt
Finally, we get to who many will consider the best player on the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers (just don’t ask the developers at EA who decide Madden player ratings). No matter which way you slice it up, T.J. Watt was dominant in 2019. Look no further than his first-team All-Pro selection and a third-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting. His statistics from 2019 included 14.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles (league-high), 36 quarterback hits, and 59 pressures.
Despite Watt being young like Fitzpatrick, it’s hard to make the argument that he hasn’t earned the “face of the franchise” label yet. Through his first three seasons, his production has been nothing short of phenomenal. He’s as hard of a worker as you’ll find, a great leader in the locker room, and a good teammate. Aside from being a team captain, Watt has all the characteristics to make him one of the faces of the Steelers.
After the 2020 season, T.J. Watt is due for a contract extension. The Steelers will essentially be writing him a blank check. Whatever amount of money Watt wants, he will get. With contracts getting bigger each year, don’t underestimate the chances of him becoming the highest-paid pass rusher in league history. He deserves it. That big contract will leave no doubt that Watt is the face and future of the Steelers.
Honorable Mentions
There are two more guys who easily could have found themselves on this list. The first is Cameron Heyward, who is as good as it gets when it comes to production and leadership. One of Pittsburgh’s team captains, Heyward is a multiple-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee. His first-team All-Pro selection in 2019 shows that he has the production to match his off-field contributions. He might not get the national attention of Watt and Fitzpatrick, but Heyward is right up there with those two guys in the “best player on the Steelers defense” discussion.
The other honorable mention is longtime Steelers center, Maurkice Pouncey. Though he’s no longer the best lineman on the team (that title belongs to David DeCastro), Pouncey is still one of the most well-known players on the Steelers. Like Heyward, Pouncey’s WPMOY nomination and status as a team captain speak to his leadership and off-field contributions. Though he’s past his peak, Pouncey is still a very good player and one of the best centers in the NFL. So, it’s not far fetched to consider him one of the faces of the Steelers.
