6 Steelers who will have a bigger impact in second half of season
Several Steelers who have not had the strongest showing during the team’s first half of the 2017 season could be primed for better performances over the last eight games of the year. Here is a list of players whom I feel will have a better “second season” than they have over the course of the first eight games.
Vance McDonald
Brought in to strengthen a weak tight end group, McDonald has had a rough go of his first half of the 2017 season, missing two games and leaving another early due to an injury.
With three catches on only nine targets, I believe a healthy McDonald will become a fixture of the Steelers offense in the way they envisioned using Ladarius Green last season; Green had several breakout games before being lost for the season due to concussions. Hopefully we’ll see McDonald avoid a similar “out for extended time” fate.
James Conner
It’s hard to put a promising young running back on the field when you would be taking snaps away from one of, if not the best running back in the game. But that’s precisely where James Conner is midway through his rookie season, as Le’Veon Bell continues to be the workhorse in the Steelers backfield.
To avoid a situation where Bell is worn down to not being in the game, as what happened during the 2016 postseason, I could see the Steelers gradually spelling Bell when games are within hand; which should lead to more opportunities for Conner to show us what he’s made of.
Ben Roethlisberger
A disappoint thus far in 2017, Roethlisberger doesn’t have to do much to improve. His next eight games should easily be better than his previous eight, and with the emergence of young receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, a more focused Martavis Bryant, and perhaps having McDonald more involved in the offensive plans, Big Ben should have plenty of mouths to feed for a more prosperous portion of his season.
Martavis Bryant
Mentioned above with Big Ben, Bryant has been a bit of a letdown, but some of that is on him, while some of that is on his quarterback.
Up until Week 8, Bryant had the second-most snaps and targets of any Steelers wide receiver; Antonio Brown, by far, had the most, and the only other player to see more action in the passing game than Martavis is Le’Veon Bell.
After sitting a week due to his rant on social media, Bryant could be in for a breakout week at any time… and that momentum could snowball into salvaging his low numbers so far in 2017.
Jordan Berry
Seeing Berry’s name on this list is more indicative of the offensive woes than anything: he’s among the lowest in league net punt average, as the offense sputters just outside of field goal range. Berry then has to kick “pooch” punts to trap opponents deep into their territory. Therefore, his low numbers aren’t really an indictment of his job performance, rather, a rejuvenated Steelers offense should see Jordan punting less frequently, not just overall, but within short fields.
Joe Haden
He’s had a solid start to his Steelers career, but Joe Haden’s best is yet to come. Becoming a Week 1 starter with no training camp isn’t easy for any player, but the former Pro Bowl corner is starting to come into his own. With each passing week, I expect to hear his name less, unless, it’s for an interception.
I do expect Haden to be tested more frequently, but as seen in the Lions game a week ago, he’s more than capable of rising to the occasion. The Steelers may have gotten the biggest offseason steal after all is said and done.
