5 Steelers who need to step up in Ben Roethlisberger's absence

The Pittsburgh Steelers can survive the Ben Roethlisberger injury if certain players step up.

The Ben Roethlisberger injury could be devastating to Steelers nation. Through six weeks, he was right up there with Matt Ryan in the MVP discussion. The Steelers looked a likely Super Bowl contender, and faced a big test with another contender, the New England Patriots, in Week 7.

Now, the Steelers must navigate that test with backup quarterback Landry Jones. The Steelers went 1-1 with Jones in control last year, and he threw three touchdowns to four interceptions.

Fortunately for Pittsburgh, the early reports are that Jones may only have to start two games again this season for the injured Roethlisberger. It’s not going to be easy, but the Steelers may be able to survive this brief stint with Jones under center. If certain players step up, that is.

Dec 21, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt (91) sacks Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 20-12. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

5. Stephon Tuitt

Stephon Tuitt is going to have tons of pressure on him for the next few weeks. The Steelers defense was already considered the team weakness through the first five weeks. In Week 5, Tuitt’s running-mate, Cameron Heyward, went down to a hamstring injury that will likely sideline him through Week 8. Now, the Steelers defense will have to be the group to carry the team as the Steelers essentially lost their best player on both sides of the ball with Heyward and Roethlisberger down.

In the first game without Heyward, the Steelers got torched on the ground for 222 yards and did not register a single sack against a team that ranked 30th in the league in giving up sacks. If the defense is going to be bad, and the offense is going to be led by Landry Jones, the wins are not coming.

Tuitt cannot single-handedly improve the defense, but he has the highest upside as far as improving the defense goes.

At 6-foot-7, 300 pounds he has the size and strength to push his way through offensive lineman and create havoc in the backfield. He’s good at forcing quarterbacks to move away from him, and into the arms of another defender for sacks.

Tuitt is now in his third season and has a real chance to become a known quantity among fans and media in the NFL. With a couple of strong performances, he can at the very least clean up the run defense and give the Steelers a fighting shot on the defensive side of the ball.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

4. David DeCastro

Coming off of an All-Pro season, the expectations for DeCastro and his 2016-17 campaign were at an all-time high. For the most part, DeCastro has been everything the Steelers have wanted. However, in the Steelers’ two losses this season, DeCastro has been beaten a times, and his two worst showings of the season came in losses.

DeCastro was lined up on Fletcher Cox in Week 3 against the Eagles, and Cox won the majority of their battles. In Week 5, it was Ndamukong Suh on the other side of DeCastro and it was a similar result.

While those two interior defensive linemen are two of the best in the NFL, that’s the degree of player against which DeCastro must prove himself. He is expected to shut down the best, and is expected to help carry an offensive line deemed one of the strongest in the NFL.

In the Steelers next two games, they see the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. While the names Malcolm Brown and Brandon Williams do not ring in the same way as Cox and Suh, these two are maulers in the middle for their respective teams. Both are young players on the rise, and any slip up by DeCastro will give these two chances to make a name for themselves.
The Steelers will need an elite performance from their elite lineman if they want to survive this injury.

Sep 21, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; San Diego Chargers tight end Ladarius Green (89) runs after a catch as Buffalo Bills inside linebacker Preston Brown (52) pursues during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Chargers beat the Bills 22-10. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

3. Ladarius Green

It may be a lot to expect of a player who may only make his season debut in Week 7. However, the Steelers now need Green to immediately step in and at the very least be a factor that can keep the pressure off some of the others. Green was the Steelers’ big free agency acquisition this year.

They saw him as a long-term replacement for Heath Miller, and another big body Roethlisberger can throw the ball to in the end zone. Unfortunately, potential concussion and ankle issues have kept him sidelined until this point. His practice time has noticeably increased in past weeks, and by all indications, his debut is scheduled for Week 7.

The Steelers were able to get by on the play of Jesse James and Xavier Grimble in the meantime, but that had more to do with the skill of Roethlisberger than the two tight ends. Without Roethlisberger, these names will lose a lot of the luster they had through six weeks.

Green, however, could be a safety blanket for Jones. He’s tall, fast and he can catch — three extremely important qualities for any safety blanket tight end. His size gives him a greater catch radius, which should erase the difference in accuracy from Roethlisberger to Jones. His presence also makes it harder for teams to beat the Steelers simply by shutting down Antonio Brown.

Green will demand attention, and if he can earn the respect of the Patriots defense in Week 7, he’ll be a difference maker and a much-needed boost in the offense.

Sep 25, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) runs after a catch against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The Philadelphia Eagles won 34-3. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

2. Antonio Brown

Unfortunately for the Steelers, one thing they learned last year was that the player who could slow down Brown the most was Roethlisberger. This season, Brown has not exactly set the world on fire the way some thought he would. Still, over the first six games he’s averaging 6.8 catches per game, for 81 yards and has five touchdowns.

While those numbers still feel low for Brown, it’s not quite as low as his four-game stint with Landry Jones and Michael Vick last season. In those games, he averaged 4.25 catches per game for 59 yards and did not record a touchdown.

As mentioned, teams are going to come into their matchup with the Steelers with the philosophy of shutting down Brown and forcing anyone else in the passing game to beat them.

Brown and offensive coordinator Todd Haley cannot let that happen. Whether it be screens, drags, slants or anything easy and quick they can come up with, the Steelers have to get the ball into Brown’s hands early and often to survive this injury. Brown is exceptional with the ball in his hands and has the footwork to turn a 2-yard loss into a ten yard gain on any play. The Steelers cannot be afraid to force him the ball, even in tight situations, and let him do his thing.

1. Le’Veon Bell

If the Steelers do emerge from the ashes of the Roethlisberger injury in contention it will be almost exclusively thanks to Bell. Bell will have the chance to touch the ball around 30 times per game without Roethlisberger, and as crazy as it sounds, that number may be low. The Steelers are going to run Bell, they are going to run him more and then they are going to throw to him.

Teams will undoubtedly stack the box against the inexperienced signal caller. However, the Steelers can also be creative in how they get Bell his touches. A Week 5 win in 2015 at the San Diego Chargers comes to mind here. Michael Vick started in that game, and threw 26 passes. One went for 72 yards and a touchdown. The other 25 went for 131 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception.

However, Bell ran for 111 yards on 21 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown, as the Steelers relied heavily on the wildcat formation. They have two great running backs in DeAngelo Williams and Bell, so it seems pretty likely that the wildcat will be in play, even if only for a few plays, in the coming weeks.

Aside from that, the Steelers will also keep the defense on their feet by throwing to Bell. Bell is the best receiving running back in the NFL and it’s not even close. This season he has caught 20 of his 24 targets in three games and has turned that into 177 yards (that comes out to 8.9 yards per reception). For his career, he averages just over 9 yards per catch. The Steelers will rely almost exclusively on Bell to open up the entire offense.

He can take the pressure off Brown. He can free up the middle for the emerging Green. Brown can make DeCastro look better by staying patient, and fighting defenders who burst into the backfield. Heck, Bell can help the defense by churning the clock and keeping them on the sidelines. If the Steelers want to survive without Roethlisberger, the number one name to look at is going to be Le’Veon Bell.