Pittsburgh Steelers: Ranking the 10 best players of the past decade
By Samuel Teets
Despite not capturing a Super Bowl during the 2010s, the Pittsburgh Steelers still featured some Hall of Fame-caliber players.
The Pittsburgh Steelers won two Super Bowls in the 2000s but came up short of a title in the 2010s. Nevertheless, the franchise still boasted some extremely talented players worthy of recognition.
Subsequently, as the 2010s are in the rearview, we’re going to look at the best to suit up in the Steel City over the past decade.
This list takes into account winning, statistics, and the roles players filled on Pittsburgh’s teams beginning with the 2010 season and ending after the 2019 season. However, before jumping into the top 10, let’s take a look at the honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
Lawrence Timmons made the Pro Bowl in 2014. He also earned a Second-Team All-Pro bid that year. The 2007 first-round pick amassed 825 tackles with Pittsburgh during the 2010s. He spent the final year of his career with the Miami Dolphins.
While Timmons played for the team longer, Ryan Shazier‘s peak was higher. The 2014 first-round selection made the Pro Bowl in both 2016 and 2017. A spine injury cut his promising career short and prevented him from gaining an All-Pro selection in 2017. If he continued playing, Shazier would’ve become a perennial Pro Bowler.
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Pittsburgh built several dominant defenses during the 2000s. The final iteration carried over into the early 2010s and featured several beloved players, including Ryan Clark, Casey Hampton, Brett Keisel, Ike Taylor and LaMarr Woodley.
Keisel made the Pro Bowl in 2010, and Clark followed suit in 2011. Woodley experienced a dramatic decline in the 2010s and quickly went from being a promising player to a questionable rotational pass rusher. However, he did record 19 sacks and 29 quarterback hits between 2010 and 2011.
Pittsburgh’s defense flashed its dominance in 2019. In the secondary, both Minkah Fitzpatrick and Joe Haden intercepted five passes and made the Pro Bowl. The Associated Press selected Fitzpatrick as a First-Team All-Pro. However, neither player has accomplished enough in the Steel City to break into the top 10.