We love to debate, right? Especially as sports fans, it’s basically the essence of our conversations. From GOAT debates to power rankings, it fuels sports talk across TV and social media. And we should remember, it’s all in good fun.
So, during the “dry” months of the NFL off-season, and inspired by similar lists posted by other sites, I’ve decided to rank the top 10 current players on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster. This is mostly based on what they’ve done for the Black and Gold thus far, but also with an eye towards the future and what can be expected of them going forward.
*Note - this list does not give any positional bias. Although certain portions are deemed more important than others in nature, this list purely examines each player relative to the position they play, and that alone.
So then, as they say in the Burgh, “Here We Go…”
10 - Pat Freiermuth
Muuuuuth (as he’s affectionately referred to in Pittsburgh) was signed to a 4 year - $48.4 million contract last off season, and so far, he’s lived up to it.
Since being drafted in 2021, Freiermuth is 10th among all TE’s in receptions and ranks 7th in TD’s scored. And, other than his rookie season with an aging Ben Roethlisberger, he’s had, shall we say, less than stellar QB play. Very reliable hands and a team first guy, Muth has proven to be very valuable for the Steelers, and being only 26 years old, he’s still on the incline in his career.
9 - Patrick Queen
Queen was a newcomer to Pittsburgh last year, and had to learn a new defense all while being the de-facto defensive QB and communicate this defense to his teammates on the field. He ended the 2024 season with 129 total tackles (2nd highest mark of his career), 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and he was selected to the 2024 Pro Bowl.
With a full season in Pittsburgh under his belt, Queen should have a more firm grasp of the defense, and expectations for him continue to rise.
8 - Alex Highsmith
Highsmith is tougher to gauge due to having missed 6 games (and exiting other games early) due to injury, but when he was on the field and healthy, he was a force. He recorded 6 sacks last year, and that number would almost certainly have been double digits had he played the full season.
On Pro Football Focus, Highsmith recorded an 89.5 overall PFF grade for 2024, good for 7th among all EDGE rushers in the NFL. A stout run defender and qualified pass rusher, the ceiling keeps moving upward for Alex Highsmith.
7 - DK Metcalf
His highlight reel speaks for itself, right? I could just skip the paragraphs and link YouTube videos to show this man’s freakish abilities.
Metcalf has logged 1 - 2nd team All-Pro selection and 2 Pro Bowl nods during his career, but the accomplishments and stats don’t fully do him justice. He is obviously a big, physically WR that has uncanny speed for a man his size. He should open up the passing game even more this year, especially with his ability to run routes across the middle of the field, an area that George Pickens rarely entered. To boot, for anyone possibly thinking Metcalf could be a downgrade from Pickens this year (are you crazy?) he posted a higher yards-per-game average last year than GP.
6 - DeShon Elliot
Elliot was the best free agent signing the Steelers made last year, and if you’d said last off-season, you probably would’ve been ridiculed. But in 2024, Elliot was one of the top safeties in the entire NFL.
In 2024, DeShon Elliot posted the lowest missed-tackle percentage in the NFL, accounting for 108 tackles on 111 tackle attempts. Just unheard of. But not to be ignored, Elliot wasn’t just a sure-fire tackler. He also racked up 6 passes defensed last season, the 2nd highest mark of his career. At 28 years old, there’s still reason to believe that he’s in his prime and could meet or exceed his expectations in the coming season.
5 - Zach Frazier
Entering his sophomore season, Frazier is the youngest and most inexperienced player on this list. But his rookie year was not like most.
Entering last season, Frazier started training camp as the backup Center to Nate Herbig. But a season-ending training camp injury to Herbig catapulted Frazier into the starting spot, and he never looked back.
Stats are hard to come by for offensive linemen, but in 2024, Zach Frazier posted a 76.8 PFF grade, good for the 6th highest among all centers in the NFL, and was close to being selected to the pro bowl. Going into 2025, it’s reasonable to expect Frazier could become a top 5 center in the NFL, if he isn’t already.
4 - Minkah Fitzpatrick
His accomplishments speak for themselves, right? 2022 Steelers team MVP, 3 time First Team All Pro, 5 time Pro Bowler. Widely regarded as one of, if not the best safety in the NFL.
A year ago, Minkah probably would’ve been top 2 or 3 on this list, but you could potentially say that he had a slight regression in 2024, statistically speaking. Only intercepting 1 pass last season, on the surface it would appear to be a down year for Minkah. But even still, he racked up 96 total tackles (tied for 2nd most in his career, and honestly more tackles than a free safety should have to make), and was selected to the Pro Bowl. The defensive scheme, for better or worse, contributed to the lack in takeaways by Minkah, with him lining up 20+ yards off the line of scrimmage on most plays to take away the deep ball (which he did).
Going into 2025, it’s still easy to see that Minkah Fitzpatrick is still one of the top safeties in the NFL.
3 - Cameron Heyward
What a season last year for the captain. In 2024 alone: 1st Team All Pro, 90.3 PFF grade (1st among all interior DL), and ranked 4th in QB pressures among all interior DL. Heyward even had 11 passes defended last year, which would dwarf the number of most DB’s in the league.
At 36 years old, you’d have to think at some point his play would start to decline, but that clearly hasn’t happened yet, and there’s no sign of it on the horizon. Cam is still elite, and one of the best DL in the entire league.
2 - TJ Watt
The most elite EDGE rusher in the NFL? That would be Trent Jordan Watt. You can look at his full resumé and make the case that he’s a top 5-10 player in the league, regardless of position. And I, along with most of Steeler Nation, wouldn’t disagree. But even aside from his numerous past accolades, including the 2021 DPOY award, in 2024 he was still one of the best.
In what was considered a “down” year by his standards, TJ Watt still did the following in 2024: 2nd Team All Pro selection, Pro Bowl selection, 92.2 PFF grade (3rd among all EDGE rushers), 11.5 sacks, and 6 forced fumbles (2nd most of his career).
There’s a reason that when you look in the stands in Acrisure Stadium, you usually see more number 90 jerseys than any other. He's the heart and soul of this team, and arguably the most important player on the roster.
1 - Chris Boswell
Go ahead, start laughing if you wish. I can hear some of you now. “A kicker at number one?! What is he thinking?” As I stated, this list has no positional bias. We’re not ranking if one position “means more” than another. This is purely about who is the best at what they do, at their own position. And there’s one player on the Steelers that is now, unquestionably, the greatest in the entire NFL at their own position, and that would be the Wizard Of Boz.
Finishing up the 2024 season as the First Team All-Pro selection at kicker, that alone cemented him as the best kicker in the NFL last year. But it’s hard to fully describe just how good Boswell was.
93.2% was his FG percentage in 2024 (along with 100% on PAT’s), and that includes 13 made FG’s of 50+ yards. Regardless of distance (or weather, remember where he plays), Boswell was unfazed. Mike Tomlin spoke many times about the confidence he had in Boswell regardless of circumstance, and he lived it by sending Boswell out for some “questionable” FG attempts, but Boz always seemed to come through.
Also, and lest we forget, in week 1, punter Cameron Johnston went down with a horrific leg injury in the 4th quarter, and Boswell was called on to punt. And even though he hadn’t punted in an NFL game before in his career, Boswell nailed a 43 yard punt to pin the Falcons deep and keep them out of scoring range, helping to secure victory.
When you’re the absolute best in the league at your position, you rank 1st on this list, and I don’t even care that he’s a kicker. Credit where it’s due.
This was a fun exercise, and I’m sure many of you probably have some players you’d rank higher or lower, which is the case with all of these lists. Let me know who you’d move up or down this list, or any changes you’d make. Let’s always remember to have fun talking sports, and may sports debates continue to live on for as long as the list of Cleveland Browns starting QB’s, which is seemingly endless.
Thank you for reading, and please consider subscribing to ensure you get all future posts and articles! There are free and paid tiers, and I appreciate all subscribers in either area!