The Pittsburgh Steelers are nine 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 Baltimore Ravens in Week 11 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

Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson is cheesy. He is that guy who many call a phony. While these talking points surrounding Wilson are validated by his haters, his play on the field in 2024 have proven he is far from done in his NFL career.

If Wilson is cheesy with the media, and a phony to NFL fans, he can still play at a high level. Even in a game where he wasn’t on his A-game, he still threw for 3 touchdowns in a huge win over 7-win Washington. The Steelers haven’t had this kind of play at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger before his elbow injury.

Can Wilson keep this up? At this point, why would we doubt he can’t sustain this level of play? Nothing has suggested otherwise.

Wilson’s leadership will be key in the final stretch run for the Steelers, and he can be as corny, phony, and cheesy as he wants…as long as he’s winning games and playing at a high level!

The New Guys

There are times when stories happen in sports where you can’t believe they are true. They feel as if they are made up, and even a company like Disney would pass. That might be the case with the new Steeles acquisitions of Preston Smith and Mike Williams.

Let’s start with Williams.

Williams, who chose the New York Jets over other teams, including the Steelers, gets overlooked in the Big Apple and is moved via trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is still learning the playbook, but is called on to action and catches the game-winning touchdown on the road.

Get outta here with that story.

Smith requested a trade out of Green Bay, and he gets his wish, being traded to the 3-4 defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith sees limited action, but does get credited for a sack in his debut, and is now called upon for a larger role with the injury to Alex Highsmith.

Again, not truly buying that either.

Nonetheless, this is real life and these acquisitions have played a role in the Steelers’ success, even in the short-term. If Williams doesn’t catch another touchdown in his time with the Steelers, it’s still a worthwhile trade. As for Smith, I feel his presence will be felt more and more moving forward.

Welcome to the ‘burgh boys!

Broderick Jones

On my Wednesday “Let’s Ride” podcast I gave Jones an apology. I put Jones on the loser list for Week 10, and there was a reason for me doing so. At first glance, from the live television broadcast, it looked as if the Steelers were giving up a lot of interior pressure on the right side of the line. I’m referring to the gap between the right tackle and right guard. Call it a hasty assumption, but I assumed the issues were Jones.

I was wrong.

The issues stemmed more from Mason McCormick than with Jones. In fact, Jones played a really solid game, and I’m not just talking about his PFF grades. Let’s hope this wasn’t just a one-game sample, but the start of Jones resurrecting his 2024 season which has been plagued with penalties and sub-par play. For one week, and hopefully more, Jones is on the stock up list.

Run Defense

Remember the narratives surrounding the run defense when the New York Giants ran for 140+ on Monday Night Football in Week 8? The Week 9 bye allowed those narratives to marinate for an extra week before the team played the Commanders in Week 10. In case you forget, the Commanders entered the game as a Top 5 rushing unit, and the Steelers held them to 60 yards on the ground.

What might have been most impressive was how they limited Jayden Daniels on the ground. Daniels hadn’t been held to less than 40 yards rushing this season. Against the Steelers last Sunday he rushed for 5 yards. A tough test awaits the Steelers in the Ravens in Week 11, but I feel it’s safe to say the run defense “issues” seem to be more of a blip on the radar than a new trend.

Cam Heyward

I’ve had Heyward on this list for a while now, and it is always important to add just how valuable he is to the team. There were some, not all, who didn’t want Heyward back. They thought he was “washed”, but all Heyward has done this season is prove his worth on more than one occasion. His game against the Commanders was a thing of beauty. With all the attention being paid to the pass rushers, it was Heyward who didn’t just win his one-on-ones, but abused the linemen he lined up against.

I’m not saying Heyward found the fountain of youth, but he certainly is proving those doubters wrong on a weekly basis.

George Pickens

I like to call Pickens “unique”. Some might call him strange, weird, or different, but he truly is unique in every aspect of his personality and this game. We have all wanted to see what Pickens can do with a quality quarterback, and we are now getting a glimpse of what he is capable of with Russell Wilson at the helm.

Of course, it’s easy to be happy when you’re scoring touchdowns and getting targets, but we are seeing Pickens reaching new levels in terms of consistency and production. His twisting touchdown in Washington was a thing of beauty, but so were his catch-and-run and toe-tapping sideline catches in the second half.

Yeah, Pickens’ arrow is pointing up in a big way.

Stock Down

Secondary Depth

We all assumed after two weeks of Mike Tomlin talking about Cory Trice that he would at least have his 21-day window from Injured Reserve (IR) started. But it hasn’t happened yet. It leaves the Steelers without much help in the depth department in the secondary.

Donte Jackson is dealing with a hamstring injury, but is slated to play vs. the Baltimore Ravens Sunday. If Jackson can’t go, or has to leave the game, it would be James Pierre or Cam Sutton taking over. This would leave the Steelers in dire straits from a depth perspective, and I think it’s safe to say the team will benefit greatly from getting Trice back in the fold, whenever that will be.

Alex Highsmith

Another injury to Alex Highsmith has him slated to miss another 2-3 weeks. Earlier this season Highsmith was sidelined with a soft tissue injury, and after battling his way back he is now sidelined again with an ankle injury.

The injury was a fluke injury, one where he stepped on Jayden Daniels as he was attempting to bring the quarterback to the ground, but you have to feel for what has to feel like a miserable season for Highsmith. When he’s healthy he has been very productive, but he has only played in six of the team’s nine games, and is likely to miss at least the next two before being considered to return. Hopefully when Highsmith returns he is able to stick on the lineup for the duration of the season.

Van Jefferson

Jefferson has been an ideal teammate since he came into the organization this past offseason, but you can’t help but see his snaps slowly decrease with the addition of Mike Williams. Will Jefferson turn into a gameday inactive player? No, but will he be seeing the field less and less by the week? Most likely.

It isn’t as if Jefferson did anything wrong, but this is sometimes the nature of the business. At this point, Jefferson will just have to make due with the opportunities he is presented. Even if you are doing so in a limited capacity. Still, you can’t help but see Jefferson’s stock trending in the wrong direction.

Be sure to follow SCN for all the latest news and updates as the team prepares for the Ravens in Week 11 of the 2024 regular season.