We are closing in on the end of another decade of Steelers football, and what a decade it was. There were no Super Bowl trophies, but plenty of drama during this time. There also was no shortage of talented players throughout the 2010s. Here’s a list of the top players by position over the last ten years for the black and gold:
OFFENSE:
QB – Ben Roethlisberger
RB – Le’Veon Bell
RB – Rashard Mendenhall
FB – Roosevelt Nicks
TE – Heath Miller
WR1 – Antonio Brown
WR2 – Mike Wallace
LT – Alejandro Villanueva
LG – Ramon Foster
C – Maurkice Pouncey
RG – David DeCastro
RT – Marcus Gilbert
The Steelers offense has been loaded over this decade. The deepest position being wide receiver where players like Manny Sanders, Ju Ju Smith-Schuster, Martavis Bryant, and Markus Wheaton all missed the cut. The current version of the offensive line hold down four of the five spots. The last few seasons have seen the best line play this team has seen since the 1970s. Quarterback and tight end were no brainers when it comes to this time period. Big Ben and Heath Miller stand out in any decade of Steelers football.
DEFENSE:
DL – Cam Heyward
DL – Stephon Tuitt
DL – Steve McLendon
OLB – James Harrison
ILB – Ryan Shazier
ILB – Lawrence Timmons
OLB – TJ Watt
C – Ike Taylor
S – Troy Polamalu
S – Ryan Clark
C – Joe Haden
The defense on the other hand, has been a bit of a sore spot over the past ten years. Pittsburgh has some sure fire Hall of Famers like Polamalu and Harrison in this group however. Interesting to think how this may be switching for the next decade. The 2019 Steelers defense is the best group they have had this entire period. With Roethlisberger’s career winding down, it looks like its the defense that will carry this team moving forward.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
K – Chris Boswell
P – Jordan Berry
PR – Antonio Brown
KR – Diontae Spencer
Jordan Berry wins by default, while Boswell has been excellent aside from his 2018 season. Not only was Antonio Brown the team’s best receiver by a large margin, he also was the best returner by the same wide gap. As far as kick returner, we went a little tongue and cheek because of how atrocious this position has been over the years. Without actually playing a regular season snap, Diontae Spencer might have been the best of the bunch.
Santonio Holmes!!!