Ranking Pittsburgh Steelers' 10 Most Important Contributors in 2017

Though 53 men will make up the Pittsburgh Steelers roster once training camp and the preseason games are complete, some will make bigger contributions than others. Some are already well-known, established starters who have cemented themselves as the team's cornerstones, while others are younger and ready to breakout with expanded playing time.

Here are the 10 players expected to be the Steelers' top contributors for 2017, ranked in order of importance.

10. S Mike Mitchell

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Mike Mitchell has been a full-time starting safety for the Steelers since joining the team as a free agent in 2014. He hasn't missed a game and has often been one of the team's top tacklers, both working in passing coverage and run support. He averages more than 70 combined tackles per season on a regular basis and is a hard-hitting player who mostly spends his time deep on the field—he's not a blitzing safety in Pittsburgh, with no regular-season sacks to his name over the past three seasons.

With the Steelers moving to more man coverage this year, according to ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler (h/t Pro Football Talk), Mitchell's work deep defending the pass will become even more important to the defense. The question, though, is whether Mitchell's frequency of missed tackles (his 16 last year were third on the team, according to Steelers Depot) and that he's hit the other side of 30 years old will result in him being an asset or a liability this year.

Still, there's no reason to think that Mitchell won't serve as a cornerstone of the defense even if he should struggle at times. He's an intelligent veteran who needs to provide that level of on-field leadership even if that is augmented by a few poor plays here and there.

9. CB Artie Burns

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Though a rookie in 2016, first-round draft pick Artie Burns suited up for all 16 games for the Steelers and eventually worked his way up to starting on the outside, totaling 64 combined tackles, 13 passes defensed and three interceptions. That made him the team's fifth-leading tackler, second-leading defender of passes and tied for first for interceptions.

With a year of experience to his name, Burns should only be that much more productive in 2017. Add into that the Steelers shift to more man-to-man coverage—something Burns excels at (alongside his ability to work in zone schemes) and why the Steelers coveted him in last year's draft—and Burns could turn into a shutdown-style cornerback this season.

The hope is that the iron-sharpens-iron approach to improving Burns' skills by lining him up in practice against star wideout Antonio Brown will make Burns even more of a threat to opposing receivers this year. Certainly, there are numerous benefits to Burns working with one of the NFL's best receivers; the more he can stop Brown in a practice situation the better he, and in turn the Steelers secondary, will perform this season.

8. LB James Harrison

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Though 39 years old and perhaps in the final year of his career, Steelers linebacker James Harrison has continued to play a large role as part of Pittsburgh's defense. And though the addition of T.J. Watt in this year's draft and a newly healthy Bud Dupree should eat into his playing time, even that cannot be guaranteed.

A season ago, Harrison was on the field for 56.1 percent of the Steelers' defensive snaps, according to Football Outsiders, and he turned that into a team-high five sacks, 53 combined tackles, two forced fumbles and an interception. Even if that percentage drops this year, Harrison will still have an important role to play as a situational pass-rusher.

Not only does Harrison still have the ability to strike fear in opposing offensive lines and has the veteran chops that will make all the players around him better, Pittsburgh's switch to more man coverage in the secondary means more traditional three- and four-man rushes to create pressure on quarterbacks. This is an area in which Harrison still excels and it's why, when the Steelers will need to find a way to make a big defensive stop, he'll be on the field.

7. LB Bud Dupree

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Bud Dupree, Pittsburgh's first-round pick in the 2015 draft, was forced to sit out the team's first nine games in 2016 with an abdominal injury. But even with limited playing time, Dupree made a major impact. Though he played only 330 snaps on defense—or 30.4 percent of the team's total, according to Football Outsiders—he still managed 4.5 sacks, 8.5 pass pressures and 24 combined tackles.

Dupree has not only been learning from his Steelers teammates, including the venerable veteran James Harrison, but also from former player-turned-linebackers-guru Chuck Smith, with whom he has been working for the past two offseasons. And what he has learned there—and how quickly he has learned it—has drawn high praise from Smith, who believes that Dupree is going to be the league's Defensive Player of the Year this season, per CBSSports.com's Phil Prisco.

While perhaps too lofty a goal to be confident in at this time, all signs point to Dupree's role on the Steelers defense to widen. For one, he's healthy. For another, Jarvis Jones has departed in free agency, freeing up snaps on the defense. While some are doubtlessly going to be taken by 2017 first-round draft pick T.J. Watt, Dupree's improvements, Jones' departure and Harrison being 39 years old will at least open the door to Dupree making one of the Steelers' two starting outside linebacker jobs his own.

If he can manage this, then Dupree should be a force in Pittsburgh's pass rush and perhaps even make Smith's prediction come true.

6. WR Martavis Bryant

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With the off-the-field troubles behind him that forced him to sit out with a suspension for all of 2016, Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant is ready to return to the field and return to his touchdown-scoring form that defined the 21 games he suited up in 2014 and 2015. In that span, he caught 76 passes, 14 of those for touchdowns and averaged 17.3 yards per reception. He also had two more scores in the playoffs, one per year.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said last month that Bryant "looks like a stud, as usual," when speaking with reporters at his youth football camp. If that is true, then Bryant will be stepping back into what was already one of the NFL's most explosive offenses and adding his big-play abilities to it, something that could tip the scales enough for the Steelers to finally reach their 30 points-per-game goal they've set for themselves for years.

Bryant is certainly committed, working hard when the Steelers have not been meeting for OTAs and minicamps and putting on around 20 pounds of muscle during his time away from the team. With Bryant expected to be available for all 16 games this year, we may finally get a chance to see what he can do with his potential. 

5. LB Ryan Shazier

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Being and staying healthy has been an issue for Steelers inside linebacker Ryan Shazier since being selected as the team's first-round draft pick in 2014. Over the last four years, he's missed a total of 14 games, his absences only amplified by how well he has played when healthy, particularly in 2015 and 2016.

In each those two seasons, Shazier had 84 combined tackles and 3.5 sacks, as well as five forced fumbles and four interceptions. Three of those interceptions happened during the 2016 season, when he added another two in the playoffs. 

But staying healthy will be the key for Shazier to be one of the Steelers' biggest keys to victories this year, something he knows, saying to ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler that "I feel like I have the capability of being one of the best players in the NFL. People can't really see what I can do when I'm not on the field. Your best ability is availability."

Shazier is now in place to take a leadership role as part of Pittsburgh's defense now that Lawrence Timmons has left in free agency. He's certainly proved that he can do so when he is healthy and able. And presuming he is both of those things for all 16 games, there's no doubt that he will be one of the Steelers' top forces in creating pressure, stopping the run and working in coverage.

He was drafted to do it all and has shown he can do so, albeit in fits and spurts; now in his words, Shazier is ready to "show my consistency of being able to be a playmaker for this team."

4. WR Antonio Brown

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Besides his 2010 rookie season when he was still being worked into the Steelers' offensive plans, wideout Antonio Brown has been a consistent source of points and yards.

The five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in five of his seven seasons (and over 1,200 in his last four), has scored double-digit touchdowns in each of the last three years and has twice led the league in receptions. There's no doubt that no receiver means more to the Steelers than Brown does at present and, as such, the team gave him a four-year, $68 million contract in February to keep him in the black and gold for the long term.

Last year, the Steelers offense averaged 372.6 yards per game, and Brown averaged 85.6 yards per game receiving. That number alone puts into perspective just how important Brown is to his team and how integral a role he will continue to play regardless of Martavis Bryant's return from suspension or the presence of 2017 second-round draft pick JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Brown's ability to play all over the field, his league-leading skills at creating separation from would-be defenders, per NFL.com, and the fact that he is a consistent chain-mover no matter the down or distance makes him not just the Steelers' top player at wide receiver but one of the very best in the league. 

3. RB Le'Veon Bell

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According to Pro Football Focus, Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell was the very best at his position in 2016, earning 80 grades or better as a runner, receiver and pass-blocker. And the statistics certainly back that up. 

Last year, Bell rushed 261 times for 1,268 yards and seven scores while catching an impressive 75 passes on 94 targets for 616 yards and two more touchdowns, all while being forced to sit out the first three games of the season while suspended. He also had two more touchdowns and 360 yards from scrimmage in the Steelers' three playoff games last year.

This is par for the course for Bell—when healthy, he's always a threat to rush for over 1,000 yards and see around 100 passing targets in a season. Last year he became the first player in league history to have over 1,000 rushing yards and over 500 receiving yards. He was also the team's second-leading receiver in 2016. Because of this overwhelming versatility as part of Pittsburgh's offense, he just edges out Antonio Brown when it comes to Pittsburgh's top expected contributors this year.

It should be noted, though, that Bell has yet to sign the $12.12 million franchise tag the Steelers assigned him earlier in the offseason and that the two sides have until July 17 to come to an agreement on a long-term deal or else have to wait until 2018. This could result in Bell choosing to hold out, something that would certainly bring a marked dip in the Steelers' overall offensive production. However, that is a bridge yet to be crossed.

But if Bell is and stays on the field for all 16 games—something it should be noted is never a given, especially with Bell's history of both injuries and suspensions—it's not hard to assume that he will have a 2017 season that looks much like his 2016. And, if that's the case, then the Steelers will yet again boast one of the very best running backs in the league as part of their big-play offense.

2. QB Ben Roethlisberger

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When Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been sidelined, whether due to injury or because, like in Week 17 last year, coaches opted not to put him on the field, Pittsburgh has handled its business relatively well, posting 14 wins and 11 losses over those 25 games.

But even though his backups can take the reins fairly confidently—a combination of their respective talents as well as those of running back Le'Veon Bell, receivers Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant and the rest of the supporting cast, assurances of a Steelers victory are rarely higher than when a healthy Roethlisberger is on the field.

For better or for worse, a team's starting quarterback has much to do with its win-loss record and the Steelers are no different. But Pittsburgh has the benefit of a true franchise passer under center and one who can do more than just make accurate throws.

Roethlisberger's uncommon size-to-elusiveness ratio makes him almost singularly capable of extending plays where other quarterbacks would be sacked. And this, combined with the receivers he has the good fortune of throwing to, is one reason Roethlisberger led the league in deep-passing touchdowns last year (13), according to Pro Football Focus.

Though Pittsburgh's backups have done well in spot-start duties over the years, the Steelers offense doesn't truly have a unique identity without its unique quarterback on the field. Bell and Brown are exceptional talents, to be sure, but it's Roethlisberger who helps bring that out of them.

1. The Offensive Line

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When an offensive line is performing as it should, it behaves as one, reacting to not only what the opposing defense is doing on a given play but what each other is doing, what the quarterback is up to behind them and where to help lead running backs into the open field. And few in the NFL did as well as the Steelers unit in 2016.

Football Outsiders ranked the Steelers line second in the league in run-blocking last year and fourth in pass protection. And each member of the line—left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, left guard Ramon Foster, center Maurkice Pouncey, right guard David DeCastro and right tackle Marcus Gilbert—each had ratings of 82.2 or better from Pro Football Focus, making it their third-best line on the season (and the third-best coming into 2017).

Ben Roethlisberger cannot make the deep throws for touchdowns without his line's protection and the line certainly held up their end of the bargain last year, giving up just 21 sacks total and 17 on Roethlisberger. Le'Veon Bell could not have averaged 4.9 yards per rush without 4.35 of the team's average yards per rush being attributable to the performance of the line (again, per Football Outsiders).

Indeed, few things go as well for an offense as they did for the Steelers a season ago without the line being exceptional at its myriad jobs. That was not just attributed to the talent of those five men, though—it also relied upon their health. Only two players—Gilbert and Foster—missed time last year, a mere combined five games.

Maintaining that high level of play in combination with a low level of injuries will be the key to Pittsburgh's offensive line remaining the team's most important position group in 2017.