Predicting Steelers players who might make an All-Pro team

A few different Steelers deserve some accolades at year end.
New York Giants v Pittsburgh Steelers
New York Giants v Pittsburgh Steelers / Justin K. Aller/GettyImages
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As the season winds down, the period for handing out individual honors is approaching fast. Countless hours have been spent on the MVP debates between Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen — and throw in Joe Burrow if you’re feeling adventurous with your opinions. The MVP has evolved into an award exclusively for quarterbacks.

The down-ballot awards and honors don’t discriminate by position. The NFL’s All-Pro teams are egalitarian. Each year, voters, and players collectively decide upon who are the most outstanding athletes at their respective positions.

A year ago, T.J. Watt and special teams ace Miles Killebrew were the lone Steelers named All-Pros. The odds are that the Steelers will get at least two Steelers named to the All-Pro team and that six Steelers have a legitimate chance to be named to an All-Pro team. 

T.J. Watt

T.J. Watt’s zero-pressure game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17 was a low moment during his rollercoaster ride of a season. However, despite vanishing in big games in December, he’s been impactful enough to justify being named as an All-Pro even if his Defensive Player of the Year candidacy has been running on E for the final stretch of the Steelers season.

In Pittburgh’s season opener, Watt single-handedly kickstarted a Defensive Player of the Year campaign by sacking Kirk Cousins in the waning seconds. He also recovered a fumble and had a sack wiped away by an offsides penalty which the official later admitted was a bad call.

The first half of the Steelers calendar was defined by Watt’s defensive heroism. He has come down to earth in the second half of the season but leads the league in forced fumbles while performing like one of the league’s most consistent run defenders when he isn’t making noise pressuring quarterbacks. The 11.5 sacks he’s registered this season would be the second-lowest tally of his career but ranks fifth in the league while his 19 tackles for loss are second to only Myles Garrett.

Cameron Heyward 

The oldest geezer on the defense is having a career rejuvenation following his two-sack 2023 season. Pro Football Focus grades Heyward as the third-best interior pass rusher and fifth-best run defender among defensive tackles. Among interior pass rushers, he ranks second in sacks, third in quarterback pressures, seventh in hits, first in batted passes, and first in stops. 

Chris Jones ' pass-rushing prowess and importance to the Chiefs run defense, however, Aaron Donald's retirement and a down season by 2022 All-Pro Quinnen Williams have created a vacuum at the position. Dexter Lawrence was almost assured the First-Team position in the first half of the regular season. Heyward has been so disruptive this season that he could join Watt on the First Team.

DeShon Elliott

After the events of Monday Night Football, Detroit Lion safety Kerry Joseph has First-Team All-Pro locked down. Green Bay safety Xaver McKinney has slowed down since recording seven first-half interceptions.

Through 16 weeks, the Steelers were second in allowing 6.4 passing yards per attempt with Elliott on the field and last with 9.1 yards playing without him. However, Elliott is the opposite of McKinney, operating as an in-the-box defender, but has spent much of the season graded as the NFL’s best run-stopping safety, recording just one interception, forcing two fumbles, and 75 tackles.

Elliott’s value is more cerebral than many of his peers. However, it was never more apparent than when he was not in the lineup. In both games he missed, the Steelers' top-five run defense was gashed for 320 yards on the ground against the Ravens and Eagles. 

Zach Frazier

Jason Kelce’s retirement left a space for a center to fill on All-Pro teams. Enter Zach Frazier. During an up-and-down season, Pittsburgh’s most consistent position player from start to finish was their rookie center. Frazier is the most outstanding rookie interior lineman this season. At the season's onset, first-round pick Troy Fautanu was projected to be the most vital rookie in the Steelers lineup. Instead, Frazier spent much of the season on the mend while Frazier bullied older, more experienced defensive linemen. 

Frazier is considered PFF’s fifth-best run-blocking center because of his precocious fundamentals, his unstoppable motor, and his unquenchable thirst for embarrassing opposing linemen.  Alongside Mason McCormick, the Steelers' offensive line found two road graders for the foreseeable future. Even if the running game wasn’t always the crispest, Frazier’s tape was exceptional. His pass protection has progressed slower than his run-blocking acumen, but he's no slouch there.

Chris Boswell 

Boswell was on a record-setting pace thanks to the offense's inability to score touchdowns inside the red area. Boswell has made 40-of-43 of his attempts this year, and with four more, he can tie the single-season record for made field goals. Boswell’s accuracy was something to behold.  Boswell didn't miss any of his 21 attempts inside 39 yards. From beyond 50 yards, Boswell was 12-for-13, tied for second-best in the league, and 7-for-8 between 40 and 49 yards. 

Ben Skowronek

Not including a member of Danny Smith’s special teams coverage unit feels blasphemous after the year they’ve had. The most consistent member of Smith’s unit was Skronwek. A year ago Skowronek was selected for the NFC’s Pro Bowl team as a recognition for his punt and kickoff duty coverage after leading the entire league in solo tackles on special teams.

While the new kickoff rules have mitigated his kickoff coverage, Skowronek’s punt coverage was some of the NFL’s most physical footballing you’ll see from a receiver. Skowronek recovered a pair of fumbles as a gunner, including a muffed punt return by Olamide Zaccheaus that propelled them to victory in a tight contest back in Week 14 and another against the Cleveland Browns. As a bonus, Skowronek is one of the best blocking receivers in the league on offense and during returns.