NFL Power Rankings 2020 preseason: Where do LA Rams fall?

Team 17 – Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8)

The Pittsburgh Steelers will try to get back to the playoffs once more with “Big Ben” Ben Roethlisberger under center. They should have drafted his replacement in a quarterback deep class of 2020. Instead, they’ll try to get that extra season out of him, and that could prove to be disastrous.

2019 summary

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the season, but their defense and no bells offense’s resolve carried the team to an 8-8 finish. That was actually surprisingly better than expected. It was that devastating defense and it kept the Steelers close in games.

Players lost

The Steelers took a huge loss on the defense when veterans DE Javon Hargrave, ILB Tyler Matekevich, S Sean Davis, and OLB Anthony Chickillo signed elsewhere. The Steelers also lost C. B.J. Finney and TE Nick Vannett as well.

Players added

The team added TE Eric Ebron, FB Derek Watt, G Stefan Wisniewski, as well as drafting Chase Claypool, Edge Alex Highsmith, RB Anthony McFarland, and S Antoine Brooks.

2020 outlook

Despite the Steelers starting QB returning, their team feels worse. The defense took a hit in free agency and Roethlisberger does not appear to be a player eager to return to under-center. I’m not even certain if the Steelers remained in stride with the other three AFC North teams in terms of bettering the team in 2020. I suspect they’ll slip in the standings by a game or two in 2020.