Predicting Season Awards For The Steelers
Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports
With training camp and preseason in the books, we have officially entered into NFL prediction season. As pundits and talking heads prognosticate playoff scenarios, the Pittsburgh Steelers have found themselves in the role of media darlings. Everyone from Bill Simmons to Peter Schrager is coming around on the Black and Gold. Mike Tomlin has a likable young team that should be a lot of fun to root for. Here are our predictions for the end-of-year awards for the 2023 Steelers:
Offensive MVP – Najee Harris
With all the preseason hype surrounding Kenny Pickett, George Pickens, and the passing offense, Najee Harris has become a bit of a forgotten man — so forgotten in fact that far out corners of the fanbase are questioning whether or not Jaylen Warren could replace him at some point.
Nonsense.
Harris has been and will continue to be the heartbeat of this offense. Despite the preseason passing fireworks, this is still a team that will pride itself on playing defense and running the football. With the addition of Isaac Seumalo, the offensive line looks to take a major step forward, and you can guarantee that Mike Tomlin is going to want to control the ball and the clock.
Look for Harris to dominate in the run game and see more targets in the passing game, drawing in defenses and allowing his young quarterback to utilize play action and take advantage of his many talented targets
Defensive MVP – T.J. Watt
Health is always the question with T.J. Watt, but if he’s anywhere near 100% he’s not just the best player on this defense, he’s potentially the best defensive player in the league. With some D-line depth added in the offseason, there’s no reason to think that if he can stay on the field he won’t be at the very least the same dominant presence he’s been year in and you’re out. He’s the best player on the team. Expect him to perform like it in 2023.
Most Improved – George Pickens
This was a tough one. You have two young potential superstars on offense, Pickens and Pickett, both looking to make a giant leap in their second year. But we at The Noise are just a bit bearish on Pickett.
Yes, he had an amazing preseason and yes he’s doing all the right things, but it seems like the expectations are starting to run wild. We can absolutely see Pickett having a better year this year than last, and we can absolutely see him taking a step in the right direction. But if things come together for Pickens, it’s possible that he’s one of the most dynamic and explosive receivers in the league by season’s end. The second-year receiver has to work on his route tree, and we’d like to see more separation, but after turning in highlight-reel catch after highlight-reel catch in the preseason, it’s clear the sky’s the limit for George Pickens
Rookie Of the Year – Darnell Washington
This was a tough one. It’s looking like general manager Omar Khan potentialy crushed it with his first four picks. Anytime you take an offensive lineman like Broderick Jones in the top half of the first round, you expect them to be a difference-maker. But Darnell Washington is something special. Yes, tight ends historically have difficult rookie seasons, but very little will be expected of Washington with Pat friarmouth in front of him. The outrageous athlete will be able to step on the field and make splash plays while not shouldering the responsibility of being the team’s TE1. If he can provide an explosive secondary option at the position, this offense could become devastating in a hurry. There’s a real possibility that by the end of this year Washington isn’t just the Steelers’ best rookie, but is looking like the steal of the draft league wide. He has that much upside.
Newcomer Of the Year – Isaac Seumalo
Patrick Peterson is the name everybody is focusing on for newcomer of the year, but we believe Seumalo is the offseason’s most underrated acquisition. He’s arguably the best guard in football, and on a unit that sorely needed an upgrade he represents a massive improvement. Seumalo’s skill and leadership could take the recently maligned unit to a whole new level, allowing the second-year quarterback and young offense time to develop into something special.
Most Likely To Be Gone – Matt Canada
This one’s easy. Matt Canada has been public enemy No. 1 in Pittsburgh for quite some time now. In fairness to Canada, he stepped into a difficult situation with a bad offensive line and a quarterback plan that was in transition. But now, with a lot of pieces in place, Canada has to prove that he can scheme at the NFL level and create explosive plays representative of a modern offense. Surely the offensive line improvement should help, and Calvin Austin’s speed should represent a threat that could unlock other aspects of the offense. But if Canada can’t significantly improve this unit, he might not even make it through the season.
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