This week on The Steelers Fix Podcast, Jeremy Betz and I took a closer look at studs and duds from the first 10 games this season. We primarily focused on players who are not on large contracts and could easily be either released or extended in the future, depending on their performance. If you have not yet listened to the show, make sure you do so below!

Here is a brief rundown of my studs and duds from this season. The studs are guys I believe have shown enough to be long-term pieces on the team, while the duds are players I believe the team should move on from.

Studs

George Pickens
Pickens would be a top-ten receiver if he was on just about any other team in the league. Hopefully the firing of Matt Canada will, in turn, open up the offense and allow Pickens to thrive. He is a long-term piece in this offense that could become an unstoppable force in a better offensive system.

Calvin Austin III
There is always a little bit of fear that comes with receivers the size of Austin. However, Austin is not your typical lightning-in-a-bottle receiver that struggles with ball security and securing catches. He is tough and consistent, and his versatility is as good as any receiver’s on the team.

Keeanu Benton
Benton is not your typical 3-4 nose tackle in that he is not a true two-gap defender. Nonetheless, his performance seems to improve by the week, and he is now playing as well as any Steelers defensive lineman. I often thought he looked stiff on his college tape, but he has been playing with much more fluidity in the pros. Kudos to Karl Dunbar on an excellent job developing Benton.

Joey Porter, Jr.
Porter has been one of the best corners in the league in press coverage. His open-field tackling technique still needs some work, but overall, Porter is an absolute dawg. I believe the Steelers have found their lockdown corner they have lacked since the days of Ike Taylor.

Duds

Keanu Neal
Neal is a big hitter who has an eye for the football, but his lack of range and unreliable instincts have tanked his value. He is no longer a starting-caliber player, and the Steelers would be wise to move on from him this offseason.

Levi Wallace
Wallace’s contract is up at the end of the season, which makes him easily expendable. But, man, what a disappointment! The way Wallace ended 2022 was enough for me to buy in on the hype coming into this season, but he has not been the same player, getting torched in coverage on a consistent basis. Finding a corner opposite Joey Porter, Jr. will definitely be on the list of priorities this offseason.

Chukwuma Okorafor
Okorafor is simply too soft for the NFL game. He gets pushed around in pass protection when faced against power rushers, and he struggles to provide any sort of forward movement against defenders in the run game. Okorafor still has one year left on his deal, but only $3.08 million of the $11+ million cap hit in 2024 is dead cap. The team could save over $8 million by letting him go. At this point, that move makes too much sense.

Kenny Pickett
I do not believe Kenny Pickett is washed, but I do believe we have seen that his upside is limited. Just as we warned about him coming out of college, Pickett will need quite the team around him in order to be a guy that leads a team to a Super Bowl title. If he does not show out with Matt Canada now out of the picture, expect the Steelers to do their due diligence on this deep pool of draft-eligible quarterbacks.

Which players do you think are studs, or duds, for the future? Be sure to share your thoughts on this in the comment section below!