On the most recent episode of The Scho Bro Show podcast, both Big Bro Scho and I created a list of our top five players who had the potential for a breakout season in 2024. We didn’t rule out players of any caliber as the qualification was simply to have the best season they’ve seen so far in their NFL careers. Although rookies were not excluded from the list, neither one of us included one based on the criteria.

In doing the list, we had three players that we each had in our top five while each one of us had two unique players on our list. To start off, let’s look at who Big Bro Scho listed as his top five:

1. Pat Freiermuth
2. Keeanu Benton
3. Jeremiah Moon
4. Joey Porter Jr.
5. Calvin Austin III

Calvin Austin is entering his third NFL season but only has one year under his belt of playing time. With this in mind, a second-year jump is not out of the question as the Steelers are going to have to call on another wide receiver other than George Pickens.

Joey Porter Jr. was on Big Bro’s list even though he had an outstanding rookie season, but Rich is looking for him to burst on the scene even more this year. Sticking with defense, Jeremiah Moon is a player that most Steelers fans don’t even recall him being claimed off waivers at the end of the 2023 season. Some promise for the Baltimore Ravens as they tried to sneak him back onto the squad, the Steelers grabbed him up and he could prove to be a special teams assets as well as great relief at the outside linebacker position.

Before getting into the top two players from Big Bro’s list, let’s check out my list as I had the same two players at the top, but just in the opposite order:

1. Keeanu Benton
2. Pat Freiermuth
3. Jaylen Warren
4. Calvin Austin III
5. Darnell Washington

Both of us had Calvin Austin for the same reason, but I also included Darnell Washington as I’m hoping in the new regime he is utilized as a receiving option as well as him taking a second-year jump. I also included Jaylen Warren as I believe the Steelers running backs are going to go next level this season and I see Warren having a slightly larger jump.

When it comes to the top spots, we both had Keeanu Benton and Pat Freiermuth as most likely to breakout this season. When it comes to Freiermuth, he should benefit from increased usage of the tight end position this year, as well as even flexing out into the slot position. As for Benton, even though I believe he was the Steelers best defensive lineman in 2023, many around the NFL are not familiar with his body of work. I could see Benton being a household name in 2024 with the rest of the league taking notice of his game.

So what do you think? Who do you think has the most potential for a breakout season in 2024? Remember to share your thoughts in the comments.

For a more thorough breakdown of the list, check out the latest episode of The Scho Bro Show podcast below: