5 Steelers who will have a bigger impact in second half of season
Following a week off that saw them jump from third to first within the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers are rested and primed to play the remaining ten games of their 2018 season.
After witnessing great performances as well as some shortcoming from certain players through the first six games, I came up with five Steelers who I feel will have a bigger impact following the break. Here are those players.
Chris Boswell
I believe the initial pressure of signing that big money contract is behind Chris Boswell now. Missing three field goal attempts as well as three PATs is in the past and the “Wizard of Boz” will return to his automatic form, and potentially another Pro Bowl bid.
James Washington
Don’t let the Washington hype train leave the station just yet. The second-round draft pick may only have five receptions this season, but three of those are for 12 or more yards, with two converting on third downs.
Washington has been targeted another nine times, with six of those being deep balls that he and Ben Roethlisberger have yet to connect on.
You may recall that it took until midway through Martavis Bryant’s rookie season to catch fire, and that Sammie Coates had caught a deep pass of 40 or more yards in five consecutive games before breaking his fingers. Expect the Steelers to get their new shiny toy more involved in the offense as opponents try (keyword: try) to take Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster away, but fail to cover this big-time target.
Vance McDonald
Take the last sentence from Washington above and place it here: McDonald will find himself in a lot of mismatches and Big Ben knows best how to utilize his tight ends.
McDonald is already on pace to have the most catches of any Steelers tight end since Heath Miller in 2014. Finally healthy, I could see him stacking a few more touchdowns to his lone total thus far this season.
Terrell Edmunds
Right about now everyone is still wondering about the Steelers use of their top overall pick on Terrell Edmunds: you can stop wondering once the regular season is over.
I believe Edmunds, who has started the last four games in place of free agent signing Morgan Burnett, is firmly entrenched as an every-down starter now. With each game comes more experience, and once this young man settles in, you’re going to see splash plays like we haven’t seen in the Steelers secondary since the days Troy Polamalu terrified opposing offenses.
I’m not going to say Edmunds is anywhere near that Hall of Fame level at this time, but he’s going to have a heck of a turnover with a return, showcasing his speed and making everyone praise this draft pick like they did T.J. Watt a year earlier.
Cameron Heyward
Is Cam Heyward the forgotten man on the Steelers defense?
A year removed from his first Pro Bowl nod and leading the team in sacks, Heyward has quietly gained 2.5 sacks and hit quarterbacks six times total.
I don’t see 2.5 sacks through six games as pleasing the defensive captain, but it would still get him in the ballpark of 6 or 7 sacks on the season which is his average.
Do we think Cam is average? I don’t think Cam thinks he’s average! Therefore, looking for a surge at some point over the next ten games that gets him into double-digit sack territory.
