The Steelers' 2019 season started ugly with a season-ending injury to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger ... then it kept getting uglier, right up to its brutal conclusion: A three-game losing streak putting the team at 8-8 and out of the playoffs for the second straight year.
The work from Devlin "Duck" Hodges and Mason Rudolph under center left plenty to be desired, and former Pro Bowlers in JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner struggled through injury-plagued down years. It all added up to major disappointment for the men in black and gold.
But 2020 will be different — and below are five reasons why. Before we dig in, it's important to note that the NFL could add a seventh playoff team in each conference for the 2020-21 season. While there are multiple reports confirming that discussion, it is not approved at this time and thus will not be considered. We're jumping into this list under the assumption that six teams make it. Adding a seventh would, of course, make the prediction even more likely.
All that said, let's go:
5. Terrific Trio
Smith-Schuster played just 12 games in 2019 due to injury, and he posted career lows in receptions (42), yards (552) and touchdowns (3) as a result. The Steelers' offense suffered. Badly.
The team ranked 31st in passing yards per game (186.3), partly due to Hodges' and Rudolph's inexperience and partly due to costly drops and turnovers. The entire unit was a mess, but there are plenty of reasons to believe a bounce-back is on its way.
Where Smith-Schuster, in particular, is concerned: He's working out earlier in the offseason than usual.
“Just getting lean, losing weight, cutting up, getting faster, working on my routes and stuff like that. Just trying to get to that next level," Smith-Schuster was telling Pat McAfee in a recent interview.
It's easy to forget, but Smith-Schuster's still just 23 years old, and he's entering his second year as the No. 1 guy at wideout. That last point comes with layers of benefits. First, he shouldn't have to worry about that pressure. He already flopped as the marquee guy. It's done. Time to move on.
Second: He's now a year further removed from the Antonio Brown drama, so he can re-focus and get back to business. The "grace period" is over, and it's showtime.
Beyond that, though, Smith-Schuster has help in 2020. Diontae Johnson enters Year 2 and could very well become the Steelers' best all-around receiver. As a rookie, he started 12 games and caught 59 passes for 680 yards and five scores, adding another touchdown as a punt returner, where he was named second-team All-Pro as a special teamer. He's dynamic, and while he recently had sports hernia surgery, he should be 100 percent ready for the upcoming season barring any setbacks.
Going even deeper, James Washington enjoyed his best year as a pro in 2019 despite playing on that erratic offense. He flashed his big-play ability time and again, catching 44 passes for a team-high 735 yards, an average of 16.7 yards per reception. As Washington enters Year 3, look for him to build upon that momentum and hit the next level.
This trio is plenty talented, plenty driven and plenty experienced to make noise in 2020. And they will.
4. More from Benny Snell
With Conner and Jaylen Samuels in the fold, not much was expected of Benny Snell in his 2019 rookie campaign. Due to injuries, however, Snell did get his shot, starting two games and rushing for 98 and 91 yards in those contests, respectively.
He showed the grit and the ability to learn throughout the year, playing roles on special teams and in pass protection he wasn't necessarily accustomed to coming out of college, where he was a bonafide star at the University of Kentucky.
“Oh, man. I take it to heart every day — only because those are areas I lacked in college,” Snell was telling me of his work in those other areas of the game back in October at the Rooney Complex.
Then there was this:
“I just like how hard he runs,” David DeCastro said during the Steelers' Week 7 bye. “Especially those third-down runs, he’s always moving downhill and getting those extra yards. That’s nice for us.”
Players like him. Coaches like him. He's flashed potential. At 5-foot-10, 225 pounds, the missing piece for Snell has been speed and elusiveness, but both Le'Veon Bell and Conner had great success in Year 2 with the Steelers by shedding pounds and working on their agility during the offseason.
If Snell does the same, a similar jump could follow.
Still not convinced? Our Chris Carter digs into Snell's potential in his "Classroom" series.
3. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Terrell Edmunds gelling
There's no questioning the impact Minkah Fitzpatrick had on the Steelers in 2019. He slid in seamlessly after being acquired before the team's Week 3 matchup vs. the 49ers, forcing a fumble and picking off a pass in his Steelers debut. From there, things only got better for Fitzpatrick, who finished the season with two defensive touchdowns, five interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries, good for a Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro nod.
It's the other half of the Steelers' safety tandem, Terrell Edmunds, that has most fans concerned. But consider this: Edmunds played 966 snaps as a rookie — 93 percent of the defense's overall snaps — literally learning on the fly for much of that 9-6-1 season. He also played alongside Sean Davis, developing some chemistry, before Davis fought through an injury-riddled 2019 season that saw him appear in just one game. That came in Week 2 vs. the Seahawks, then Davis officially landed on the injured reserve. Kam Kelly got the start for the Steelers in Week 1, Davis tried to come back but couldn't, and they were both eventually replaced by Fitzpatrick.
That's a lot of change for Edmunds to take on — not only the jump from college to the pros but then to play alongside a rotating cast in the process. Think all that matters?
“It was tough at first, but obviously the more you practice at it and the more reps you get at it, the more comfortable you get,” Fitzpatrick was telling me of digesting the Steelers’ defensive scheme on short notice back in November. “I’m good now, but at first — football’s football — but learning the little differences and the little nuances that are different was challenging."
In addition to that aspect, Edmunds is entering Year 3 and is just 23 years old, giving him plenty of time to grow and develop. This Steelers defense now has stability, and Edmunds can maximize his own skills working within a group that's as good as any in the NFL.
Actually ...
2. The defense can be even better
This seems impossible, given the fact the Steelers led the league in takeaways (38) and sacks (54) last year, solidifying itself as a top-five unit in the NFL as a result:
But here we are. Besides Fitzpatrick and Edmunds continuing to develop chemistry, there's significant evidence to suggest this squad will actually improve in 2020.
The conversation starts with Stephon Tuitt. Before going down with a season-ending pectoral injury in the Steelers' Week 6 win over the Chargers, Tuitt racked up 3.5 sacks, 18 solo tackles, six tackles for a loss and seven quarterback hits, standing out as quite possibly the most dominant player on that side of the ball.
He's back for 2020.
Add in Tuitt, give Devin Bush — who already flashed serious playmaking abilities as a rookie — the chance to make a leap in Year 2, keep T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree and Cam Heyward rolling and unleash the duo of Steven Nelson and Joe Haden at corner, and it's easy to see how this defense actually still has room to grow.
The obvious holes: Javon Hargrave will likely sign elsewhere in free agency. The team still needs to re-sign Dupree. And Haden will enter his 11th season as a pro, but even then, there's nothing to suggest he's slowing. In fact, all five of Haden's interceptions in 2019 came in the second half of the season, with four of them coming from Week 12 on. Haden unquestionably got stronger as the season progressed.
The personnel's in place and the system proved effective in 2019. Now, add in our No. 1 reason, something that will help limit the snaps and keep the defense fresher:
1. Nothing's bigger than Ben
Oh yes. Ben Roethlisberger is coming back. Kevin Colbert just told our Dale Lolley in Indianapolis everything is on track with Roethlisberger's recovery — and his arm might be even better in 2020.
This helps the defense as we just mentioned, but the more direct impact will come on the other side of the ball.
Obviously.
It's easy to point to Roethlisberger's age (he'll be 38 at the start of the 2019 season) but that doesn't hold up under examination. In 2018, Roethlisberger threw for a career-high 5,129 yards. The year before, he eclipsed 4,000, going for 4,251 yards on over 100 fewer attempts.
And, as Colbert suggests, Roethlisberger will be fresh for 2020. That year off could have some serious benefits.
“He didn’t play last season so his body, the rest of his body, got the year off,” Colbert said. “I think that’s part of it. Anytime you repair anything with any kind of surgery, nobody knows at what point, you know when it happened, but what were the symptoms? Was his arm as strong as it had been? Who knows? I’m just optimistic that it could be better.”
Thing is, Roethlisberger's arm doesn't have to be better. It doesn't even have to be as good as that 2017 or 2018 version. With that Steelers defense and with his understanding of the offense and his ability to read NFL defenses, the jump from Hodges/Rudolph to any version of Roethlisberger should be dramatic.
It should be exactly what the Steelers need to play football in January again.
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