Pittsburgh Steelers: Early 2015 Awards Predictions

Football is the ultimate team game, but even the best teams need strong individuals to compete for a championship. Not only do the Pittsburgh Steelers have their deepest roster in several years, but they also boast three legitimate MVP candidates.

Pittsburgh’s “Killer B’s” helped carry the team in 2014 as one of the most talented offensive trios in the league. Although Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell did not win league MVP or Offensive Player of the Year, they did help lead the team to a division title and hope to make a deep playoff run in 2015.

While these three offensive weapons will get most of the headlines in Pittsburgh, the Steelers still have a number of young players who are ready to burst onto the scene.

Soon enough we will begin to learn who the breakout players will be, but until then, we can only anticipate how they will perform once the season begins. While we have a lot to learn, it is never too early to make predictions, and we will take an early look at award winners for the Steelers.

Comeback Player of the Year: Cortez Allen

Don Wright/Associated Press

Comeback Player of the Year is typically reserved for a player who is making a return from an injury. However, that is not the only criteria for this award as they can also comeback from a poor season in terms of performance.

That is the case for Cortez Allen, a once promising cornerback prospect thought to be a long-term answer for the defense. Entering the 2014 season as the starter, he was poised for a strong season, but that was not the case.

Dick LeBeau benched Allen following a string of poor performances, and he was never able to regain his starting job. He would eventually end the season on injured reserve due to a thumb injury. A long offseason provided him plenty of time to not only recover physically, but also mentally.

The Steelers believe that Allen can be a starting-caliber cornerback, which is why they signed him to a contract extension last offseason. It is easy to understand why they invested in him. At 6’1” and 196 pounds, he has the ideal physical build for the positon.

Allen has also shown the ability as a playmaker with six career interceptions. However, injuries and the lack of attention to detail got the best of him last season, and he is preparing to return to form.

“I asked [secondary] Coach [Carnell Lake] to help me with everything—anything he sees or feels that I’m doing, however small or big,’’ Allen told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I like to be coached. I have a desire to be better. I’m all for any coaching he can give me.”

Allen is motivated not only to improve for himself, but also for the benefit of the defense as a whole. He is healthy once again, and while others are trying to advance their level of play during the offseason, Allen is just looking to get back to the basics.

The Steelers are showing faith in Allen to give him a chance to compete for a starting job, and that faith will pay off with a comeback season.

Rookie of the Year: Senquez Golson

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

The Steelers may have got a steal in the first round when they drafted Bud Dupree, but he is a year away from making a big impact with the defense. Instead, expect Senquez Golson to be the team’s biggest-impact rookie.

Dupree comes to the Steelers as one of the most athletically gifted defenders in the draft, but his technique is a work-in progress. He also sits behind Arthur Moats, who signed a three-year deal after picking up four sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in his first season in Pittsburgh.

Unlike Dupree, Golson does not have a dependable veteran blocking his way into the lineup.

Although he may not win a starting job, Golson has an open pathway to earning the nickel corner job. What he lacks in size (5’9”), he makes up with playmaking ability (10 interceptions last season). His quickness should help the defense match up better with the inside receivers, which should provide him with plenty of opportunities as a rookie.

These opportunities are why Golson will be an impact player as a rookie, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com:

"

Dupree has the higher ceiling but Golson has a better chance to make an immediate impact. Expect the Steelers to rely heavily on Harrison and Moats at outside linebacker until Dupree takes ownership of the job.

When he does, he's a weapon for the defense. But Golson seems like the type of playmaker that's difficult to keep off the field. If the Steelers use him correctly, he will rack up tackles and have a chance to defend multiple passes a game.

"

The Steelers desperately need help in their defensive backfield, and Golson can pay immediate dividends. His expected role with the defense gives him the early edge over Dupree for Rookie of the Year honors.

Breakout Player of the Year: Ryan Shazier

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The Steelers wanted to add a defensive playmaker with their first pick in the 2014 draft, and that is exactly what they got—or thought they got—with Ryan Shazier.

At 6’1” and 237 pounds, Shazier is slightly undersized, but he has incredible speed to make up for his lack of bulk. With an unofficial 40-yard dash time of 4.36 seconds, he is arguably the NFL's fastest linebacker. He put that speed on full display in his first preseason game.

Against the Buffalo Bills, Shazier was the playmaker we all envisioned the Steelers drafted. He finished with nine solo tackles on defense, two on special teams and a 27-yard interception return. Did I mention he achieved this in less than a half of football?

Shazier would start the season at inside linebacker before injuries got the best of him. He would only play in nine games—including five starts—and finished with 36 tackles. A dominant season from fellow rookie—and Baltimore Raven—C.J. Mosley made Shazier’s lackluster season look even worse.

An underwhelming first season should not temper your enthusiasm as Shazier enters his second season. He spent part of the offseason working out with James Harrison and gained eight pounds, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He also gets to help break in Keith Butler’s new defense.

Shazier was identified on NFL.com’s “Making the Leap” list as a player who will emerge in 2015; Chris Wesseling expects a monster season from the second-year linebacker:

“We fully expect Shazier to rack up more than 100 tackles and force a handful of turnovers if he stays out of the trainer's room this season. If he can reach those numbers without surrendering big plays to overpursuit, Pro Bowls will soon follow.”

Talent isn’t a question with Shazier—he has everything a defensive coordinator could ask for. Instead, he needs to stay healthy. Once unleashed, he has the potential to develop into one of the best linebackers in the NFL.

Offensive Player of the Year: Antonio Brown

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Move over Calvin Johnson, Antonio Brown is the best wide receiver in the National Football League.

Well, the best according to Elliot Harrison of NFL.com:

"

Call it football blasphemy, but I would take Antonio Brown over any other receiver today. He is the best wideout in the league after the catch, productive, consistent, and I thought he was the fourth-most valuable player in all of football last year—behind just Aaron Rodgers, J.J. Watt and Tony Romo. 

The other thing that's worth mentioning about Brown—besides his 129 catches and 1,698 receiving yards (both league highs in 2014)—is the fact he can still take a punt to the house for ya. There is no overrating the kind of value he brings to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"

Brown led in the NFL in receptions and receiving yards last season and finished in a tie for second, with 13 touchdown receptions. He was able to achieve those numbers without a true No. 2 receiver opposite him last season.

Even though opposing defenses knew the ball was going to Brown, he never stopped making plays, and that will not change anytime soon. Part of the reason is how he trains in the offseason—including a workout with Randy Moss.

Brown has an outstanding workout, and it shows with his production on the field. He will be a force for the Steelers as the offense tries to take the next step to join the ranks of the league’s elite. The only way they can do that is another huge season from Brown, and he will deliver.

Defensive Player of the Year: Cameron Heyward

Don Wright/Associated Press

In Pittsburgh, the defense is all about the linebackers.

With four first-round selections at the position, that premise will not change anytime soon. However, another position is lurking, ready to make a big impact in 2015—defensive end.

Under LeBeau, defensive ends were primarily used to occupy blockers to free up space for the linebackers to make plays. This system worked for well over a decade as the defense dominated. It also helped with players such as Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel along the line.

Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt are more than capable of holding their own along Pittsburgh’s three-man front, but defensive coordinator Keith Butler realizes they could do much more:

“Those guys are talented,” Butler told Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “We will use them, too. We can’t let them always take up for the linebackers or try to take people on for the linebackers. We have to let them play football, too. Hopefully, we can employ everybody in this defense, especially the front seven.”

Heyward began to show this last season as he tied for the team lead with 7.5 sacks, and he believes he can do even better this year:

“I think I left some on the table. Some got taken away by penalties,” Heyward told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I’m shooting for double digits. I expect that out of myself, and that means other guys have to step up, too. If I can eat, then everybody else can eat and vice versa.”

Double-digit sacks for a defensive end in Pittsburgh’s system would be very impressive, and it's a goal that's achievable for Heyward. These numbers would likely lead the team, and combined with his ability to defend the run, they would make him the defensive MVP for 2015.

Most Valuable Player: Ben Roethlisberger

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Ben Roethlisberger had an MVP-caliber season in 2014—not just a team MVP season, but an NFL MVP-caliber season.

It is entirely possible that the Steelers are the only team in the league where a quarterback who threw for 4,952 yards to lead the league, along with 32 touchdowns and only nine interceptions, doesn’t win the MVP. But this is nothing new in Pittsburgh.

Roethlisberger has only won the team MVP award once in his career (2009)—the same number of times as Kordell Stewart. Yet, with three worthy candidates last season—Roethlisberger, Brown and Le’Veon Bell—it isn’t entirely surprising either.

As talented as Brown and Bell are, how far can the Steelers go without Roethlisberger? He is one of the most unique quarterbacks in the league with the ability to move around in the pocket and throw well under pressure. Pro Football Focus noted Big Ben's league-leading "QB rating under pressure":

"

In 2014 Ben Roethlisberger's QB rating under pressure was 120.3. 28 points better than any other QB pic.twitter.com/OCHQNNogFG

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) June 9, 2015"

Roethlisberger will do whatever it takes to help his team win football games, and although he will not come out and say it, he is currently surrounded by the best offensive talent that he has had to work with:

"I hate to say yes or no, because I don't want to offend anybody else that's been here," Roethlisberger told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. "But you look at stats from the NFL, we had the No. 1 wide receiver and the No. 1 overall back. Kind of hard to argue with those numbers."

Although the individual talent is outstanding, Roethlisberger brings it all together. Without his presence in the lineup, the Steelers would not be competing for a spot in the playoffs on a yearly basis.

When the season comes to a close and the Steelers are once again in playoff contention, Roethlisberger may not win the MVP award, but that won’t mean that he doesn’t deserve it.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of ESPN.com, and roster information is courtesy of Steelers.com.  

Follow @ChrisG_BR