The Pittsburgh Steelers are eight games into the regular season, and that means it’s time to track who has done well, stock up, and who hasn’t, stock down, as the team turns the page to the bye week in Week 8 of the regular season.

As always, these are just my lists, so feel free to voice your opinion in the comment section below.

Stock Up

Mike Tomlin

To say Tomlin gambled in the first half of the season could be considered a huge understatement. It would have been easy for him to just stick to what was working at times, and he didn’t do that. In other words, he didn’t “live in his fears”. Tomlin embodied what he always says, and truly showed his team he is practicing what he is preaching. The move to Wilson has paid huge dividends for the Steelers, and Tomlin has his team playing well heading into the second half of the season.

Russell Wilson

Dave Schofield said last week, “Two is a pattern”, and I was curious as to what Week 2 of Russell Wilson would bring for the Steelers offense. Needless to say, it didn’t disappoint. Sure, there were red-zone failures and a fumble, but you can’t say you can’t see a difference in the offense between the Fields offense and the Wilson offense. If you don’t see it, you are choosing not to see it.

Najee Harris

Is it the offensive line? Is it Arthur Smith? Is it Najee slimming down? Is it the Russ impact on how defenses play the Steelers? While I think it’s the latter more than anything else, I don’t care how it’s happened…as long as it is happening. Harris is playing phenomenal football right now, and looks like he is ready for a decent second contract in the NFL. Will it be the Steelers? More on that later in the season.

Calvin Austin III

When you think about Calvin Austin’s role under the previous regime, he was the human red flag. Every time he was on the field you knew it was a jet sweep or some other gimmick which was designed to distract the defense. Now he has turned into a legitimate threat on offense and special teams. His 73-yard punt return for a touchdown was the first since 2019, and he is starting to become a difference maker as a receiver too. Finally, the Steelers are utilizing his speed in a positive way which leads to results.

Alex Highsmith

T.J. Watt got a lot of praise after the Monday Night Football game, rightfully so, but it absolutely dwarfed the performance of Highsmith. Highsmith had a tremendous game with two sacks, and was harassing Daniel Jones the entire game. On top of his pass rushing prowess, Highsmith’s run-stopping ability and setting the edge can’t be overlooked. Highsmith looks like he is 100% healthy from his groin injury, and the team will need him a lot heading into the second half of the season.

Special Teams

Danny Smith’s units continue to be a difference maker for the Steelers. Blocked punts, kicks, point-afters, and now you can add touchdowns to the resume. Tremendous stuff from the Steelers special teams, to the point where it seems as if you can expect a big play on a game-to-game basis, and while that might not be fair it absolutely is a legitimate thought after their play this season.

Getting Healthy

The Steelers are starting to get healthy, and they’ll need all hands on deck coming off the bye week. Zach Frazier and Nick Herbig both are hopeful to return in Week 10, but getting the players not coming off major injuries some rest and recovery will be huge for this team as they head into the most difficult part of their 2024 schedule. In other words, the bye week came at the right time.

Stock Down

Broderick Jones

Another week, another Broderick Jones penalty which makes you cringe. Penalties happen, but when they negate a touchdown it is even harder to stomach. What was most disturbing about the facemask was how lazy it was Jones even had his hands as high as they were on that particular play. Jones didn’t have 4 quarters of bad play, but his bad plays are really bad plays. I’m not about to say he’s a bust, while I know many will, but he does need to start showing some positive play in the very near future to give the fan base some hope for his future.

Run Defense

Statistically the Steelers run defense entered Week 8 with a Top 5 unit, only surrendering just 81 yards per game on the ground. That didn’t play out the way we thought on Monday Night Football as the Giants and Tyrone Tracey Jr. ran all over the Pittsburgh defense to the tune of 157 yards. 145 of those yards went to Tracey, who left the game with a concussion. As Dave Schofield said about Russell Wilson also implies to the run defense. One can be an aberration, two is a trend. Let’s hope we don’t see a repeat performance of the run defense we saw in Week 8.

Bye Week

I’ve thoroughly enjoy watching the Steelers this season, more so than any other year since Ben Roethlisberger retired, and the bye week brings with it some sadness. If I’m being honest, this team has been brutal to watch in recent memory. While I see the value of the bye week for the players, I will miss watching this team play. Time to rest up for the stretch run!

Be sure to follow SCN for all the latest news and updates as the team prepares for the bye in Week 9 of the 2024 regular season.