Ranking Pittsburgh Steelers' 10 Most Important Players in 2015

Over the next six-and-a-half weeks, 90 players will vie for a spot on the final 53-man roster. While the competition for the final few spots will dominate headlines, the Pittsburgh Steelers will rely on their top players to carry the team in 2015.

Expectations are high for the upcoming season following a division title last year. The Steelers have four players from the 2014 All-Pro team returning to the lineup—a group that doesn’t include Ben Roethlisberger, David DeCastro or Cameron Heyward—as well as a number of young players poised for a breakout season.

Stacked with talent, the Steelers should once again compete for a division championship and one of the top seeds in the AFC. However, when we analyze the roster, the most talented players aren’t necessarily the most important.

As we examine the most important players on the 2015 team, we must consider not only the level of talent, but a player’s potential production as well as how he will contribute to the success of the team. The depth chart is another factor that must be considered as some players cannot be replaced—as we witnessed with Le’Veon Bell in the playoffs last year.

With the start of training camp less than a week away, here is a countdown of the most important players as the Steelers head into 2015.

Honorable Mentions

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Jarvis Jones

The Steelers drafted Jarvis Jones to develop into a dynamic pass-rushing threat from the outside, and he will have a chance to shine this season. He began to flash his potential early last season before suffering an injury, which kept him out for most of the season. Pittsburgh’s defense is at its best with a strong pass rush, and Jones must help provide it.

Mike Mitchell

In the matter of just a couple of seasons, Pittsburgh’s secondary has undergone a transformation. A rare high-priced free-agent signing, Mike Mitchell failed to live up to expectations last season. With a full offseason for his injured groin to heal, he should be in better position to become a threat in the secondary. If he fails, the defense will once again be susceptible to the big play, and the Steelers will consider outside options beyond 2015.

David DeCastro

David DeCastro hasn’t developed into the next Alan Faneca quite yet, but he has that type of ability. He helped pave the way for Le’Veon Bell last season and can become one of the better pulling guards in the league. Along with Maurkice Pouncey, the Steelers have one of the most athletic interior lines in the league, and they will be a big part of the success of the offense.

10. Maurkice Pouncey

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

It took several seasons, but Pittsburgh’s offensive line finally began to reach its potential under Mike Munchak last season. A major part of this unit’s development was Maurkice Pouncey’s return to dominance.

Pouncey received a lot of hype since his outstanding rookie year—some of it justified, some of it not—and he earned every bit of it last season.

Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus placed him on the 2014 All-AFC North team and stated he had the best year of his career: “After missing all of 2013, Pouncey was back to his best with a career year in 2014. The former first-round pick yielded a single sack all year and graded positive in both run and pass blocking.”

As the leader of the offensive line, Pouncey plays a key role in pass protection as well as run blocking. His ability to get to the second level is the best on the team and something that backup Cody Wallace cannot replicate.

The Steelers could get by without their center. But the offensive line would be less versatile, and the offense would take a step back.

9. Cortez Allen

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Do you think there is any buyer’s remorse in Pittsburgh’s front office after signing Cortez Allen to a contract extension last offseason?

Possibly, as general manager Kevin Colbert spent two draft picks on cornerbacks and offered no promises that Allen would return to the starting lineup, per Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

“I think Cortez enters the season where he left off,” Colbert said. “We have to find out about Cortez and if he can accept the challenge of being a starting NFL corner. He's showed signs of that in the past. He was productive in spurts with us in the past.”

Defensive backs coach Carnell Lake believes that Allen lost confidence as he struggled with injuries last year and believes the fifth-year cornerback will do what it takes to reclaim his starting job, per Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

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I’m here to support him, try to help him with his game, from technical to physical to mental, whatever I can do. Hopefully, with diligent work every day, that will give him confidence to go out there and play confident. Corners have to play with confidence. The only way you get confidence is to make plays and be consistent in practice. Tez is working on that right now.

"

Allen living up to his potential would be a huge boost to the defense. Not only would it have a talented starting cornerback opposite of Gay, but it could use Blake in the nickel role and bring along its rookies slowly.

Further issues with his play and the depth chart at cornerback will become a mess as the coaching staff tries to find the best possible options for the regular season.

8. Ryan Shazier

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Like Jones, the Steelers drafted Ryan Shazier for his potential to develop into an explosive playmaker. He is the fastest linebacker on the team, and the Steelers need him to put his speed on display this year.

We got a small taste of it last year in Shazier’s preseason debut, where he was one of the best players on the field. However, injury issues kept him off the field and slowed his development.

Shazier will enter training camp at 100 percent, and he will once again take a spot in the starting lineup. Here, new defensive coordinator Keith Butler will take advantage of his athleticism in pass coverage as well as providing a pass-rushing presence from the interior.

With a massive defensive line in front of him, Shazier should have plenty of room to demonstrate his speed as he runs around the field and makes plays. The team particularly needs him to step up against the run so it can make opposing offenses one-dimensional.

Although the Steelers have a couple of nice options behind Shazier with Vince Williams and Sean Spence, neither has the upside as a dynamic playmaker. For a defense with the inability to create splash plays, they need defenders with special talent on the field, and Shazier fits the bill.

7. Heath Miller

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Although an offensive lineman could occupy a spot this high on the rankings, Heath Miller gets the nod because of his ability as a blocker and receiver.

Even as he slows down with age, Miller continues to be one of the better blocking tight ends in the league. He is also still a threat in the passing game with 66 receptions last year—the third-highest total of his career.

As the Steelers continue to surround Ben Roethlisberger with weapons, Miller remained the third most targeted option in the passing game and should remain as one of the top three or four options this season.

Without Miller in the lineup, the offense would lack a true receiving threat at tight end. Matt Spaeth is more than capable at holding his own as a blocker, and rookie Jesse James has the potential to develop into a balanced tight end in the future but is unproven at this point.

For the offense to be at its best the Steelers need a receiving presence over the middle, and Miller will once again provide that option this season.

6. William Gay

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William Gay is possibly one of the most underappreciated members of the Steelers in recent memory.

Fans celebrated his departure following the 2011 and were skeptical of his return in 2013, but Gay has proved his worth. Not only was he one of the better nickel corners in the league, but he stepped up as a solid starting cornerback in his second stint in Pittsburgh.

An aging Ike Taylor (turned 35 years old in May) and an underachieving Cortez Allen left the Steelers in a tough position last year at cornerback, but Gay performed well. He finished 2014 with 58 tackles, three interceptions—all returned for touchdowns—and 12 passes defended.

Ideally, Gay would shift to the slot this season, but with so many questions a corner, the Steelers will need him to start again. They will depend on his veteran presence to provide the defense with a consistent presence in the secondary on a weekly basis.

This is particularly important given the uncertain status of the rest of the depth chart. Allen along with Antwon Blake, Senquez Golson, Doran Grant and others will all compete for playing time during training camp.

Until one of the other options steps up, Gay’s steady presence will be necessary for the defense to succeed.

5. Cameron Heyward

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Although the Steelers defense revolves around the linebackers, it did not stop the front office from showing defensive end Cameron Heyward some love.

Heyward recently signed a six-year contract, which will make him the second-highest-paid player on the team. This is a significant investment for a player who has never made the Pro Bowl, but the Steelers believe—and rightfully so—that he is the foundation for the defense moving forward.

Not only did Heyward tie for the team lead last season with 7.5 sacks, but he became one of the vocal leaders of the defense. As the Steelers undergo a transition with Keith Butler as defensive coordinator, there is a chance that Heyward becomes an even bigger force, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report:

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Valued most as an extra-pressure creator, Cameron Heyward is a well above average starter in the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers are lucky to have a player who can not only hold his own against two offensive linemen in the ground game but also push a tackle into the quarterback's blind side. As a young, versatile player, there's still hope that he can break into the upper echelon of players in the league, one day ending up on All-Pro or Pro Bowl lists.

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As a disruptive force along the defensive line, Heyward will continue to play strong against the run as well as rush the quarterback. His all-around ability makes him a three-down defender, and it is important that he stays on the field.

Behind Heyward, Cam Thomas is one of the top options at defensive end as well the unproven Clifton Geathers, Ethan Hemer, Matt Conrath and Leterrius Walton. The lack of depth hurts Pittsburgh’s rotation along the defensive line and makes Heyward all the more important for the 2015 season.

4. Antonio Brown

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When it comes to pure athletic talent, Antonio Brown is at the top of the list in Pittsburgh. His combination of speed (4.48 40-yard dash, per NFLDraftScout.com) and quickness makes him one of the toughest players to defend, and his value to the Steelers is unmatched, according to Elliot Harrison of NFL.com:

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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.

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Harrison is spot-on with his praise of Brown, and his value cannot be understated. But talent doesn’t always equate to importance.

Don’t get me wrong—Brown is an important piece of the puzzle in Pittsburgh, as he is a lock for five receptions and 50 yards every week. However, even with 164 touches last year, Brown only had the ball in his hands for an average of 10.25 times per game.

He was a threat to score each of those times, but he doesn’t touch the ball enough to be the Steelers' most important player. When you factor in the presence of Markus Wheaton, Martavis Bryant, Heath Miller and Le’Veon Bell in the passing game as well, Brown’s overall value isn’t as high as the players ahead of him.

3. Kelvin Beachum

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Years of investing high draft picks on offensive linemen finally paid off last season.

Maurkice Pouncey (first round), David DeCastro (first round) and Marcus Gilbert (second round) helped pave the way to a record-setting offensive performance, but former seventh-round selection Kelvin Beachum is the most important of this group.

Beachum (6'3", 303 lbs) may lack the pedigree of Pouncey and DeCastro and the size of Gilbert (6'6", 330 lbs). But he makes up for it with a strong work ethic, and his performance reflects that. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the second best left tackle in pass-blocking efficiency and the No. 67 overall player in the NFL last season.

However, Beachum’s performance isn’t why PFF ranked him so high, but rather, it's because of the player who is behind him on the depth chart.

Mike Adams is one snap away from manning one of the most important positions in football. That would be a huge blow to Pittsburgh’s offense, as Adams struggles in pass protection and isn’t consistent in run blocking.

The Steelers found a late-round gem in Beachum, and he is one guy who must stay on the field for the team to succeed in 2015.

2. Le'Veon Bell

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Le’Veon Bell was named the Steelers' 2014 Most Valuable Player for a good reason.

In only his second year, Bell showed the entire league why he is the definition of an all-purpose running back. His 1,361 rushing yards ranked second in the league, and he led all running backs with 854 receiving yards.

As impressive as his numbers were, Bell’s value goes well beyond the number of touches he receives per game. Defenses must account for him on every play, and even if he isn’t a target, his ability to contribute in pass protection only adds to his value as a three-down player.

Bell’s value will be tested early in the year as he serves a three-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Since arriving in Pittsburgh last year, the Steelers are 19-10 with Bell in the lineup and 0-4 without him.

DeAngelo Williams will provide a dependable veteran option while Bell is out, but the offense cannot perform at an optimum level without its star running back.

As we saw in the Wild Card Game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers missed their dynamic running back as his absence forced them to become a one-dimensional offense. Bell’s presence in the lineup is necessary for Pittsburgh to reach its potential and make a deep run in the playoffs.

1. Ben Roethlisberger

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Not to state the obvious, but Ben Roethlisberger is by far the most important player on the roster.

Already one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Roethlisberger has continued to evolve as a passer since Todd Haley took over as offensive coordinator in 2012. His completion percentage is up, his sacks are down, and to top it all off, he had the best statistical season of his career in 2014.

Roethlisberger finished the year tied for the league lead with 4,952 passing yards and added 32 touchdowns while completing 67.1 percent of his passes. His 103.3 quarterback rating ranked third in the league and was the second-highest of his career.

Haley has refined his offense during his time in Pittsburgh, and last season was the first year it really began to take off. With Roethlisberger at the helm, it has the potential to be even more potent this season. Take him out of the lineup, and the Steelers are in the bottom half of the NFL.

Football is truly a team sport, but it is also a league driven by talented quarterbacks. Luckily for the Steelers, they have one of the best.

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

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