5 Steelers to Watch: Will Pittsburgh snap its losing streak against Cincinnati?
In this edition of “5 Steelers to Watch” Joe Kuzma selects those players every fan should keep an eye on as Pittsburgh host the Cincinnati Bengals.
Minkah Fitzpatrick
Will we see a repeat of last week’s stellar debut by Fitzpatrick?
After starting 0-3 the Steelers boo birds are already ragging on what would be a high pick in next year’s draft. A fall to 0-4, combined with Minkah’s great performance last week, have really raised expectations for this second-year player to fulfill his top billing via the trade of Pittsburgh’s 2020 first round draft pick.
Mark Barron
With Vince Williams out again tonight, Mark Barron will once again get the start next to Devin Bush in traditional 3-4 looks and some additional subpackages.
Barron was one of several scapegoats in the loss at San Francisco last week. Look for a bounce back game from the veteran.
Nick Vannett
The newly acquired tight end may be needed to make an impact immediately.
Brought in from a trade with Seattle early last week, Vannett is a fourth-year pro whom the Steelers have had an eye on for a while.
Starting tight end Vance McDonald is doubtful to play Monday night after suffering a shoulder injury early in last week’s game. His backup, Xavier Grimble, was placed on Injured Reserve following the addition of Vannett.
The only other tight end on the active roster is fifth-round rookie draft pick Zach Gentry, who saw his first snaps as an NFL player last Sunday.
How quickly can Vannett chip in and help? We may find out soon!
JuJu Smith-Schuster
JuJu has been largely quiet, sans a big 76-yard touchdown play against the 49ers last weekend.
Take that away, and he’s caught only 13 other passes for 167 yards over the span of three games.
While teams will attempt to take Smith-Schuster away from the Steelers passing game, Pittsburgh’s coaches will be looking for ways to create further mismatches to get him into space where second-year quarterback Mason Rudolph can utilize his greatest target.
Despite the Bengals having a reputable secondary, they are without their starting nickel corner (Darqueze Dennard). Look for JuJu to line up in the slot and potentially exploit Cincinnati’s coverage.
Chris Boswell
Boswell has quietly made all five of his field goal attempts this season, including two from 40-plus yards and all four of his point-after attempts.
“The Wizard of Boz” has always been a Bengal-killer in these divisional matchups, and with a growing signal caller, as well as what’s been a woeful Steelers offense through three games, the team may need to rely on Boswell’s leg once again to get the victory.
