2 Massive Steelers Failures Now In The Top 5 For Lowest Passer Rating Allowed In Their Respective Positions

Over the years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have managed to get some big names like Mike Webster, Antonio Brown, Brett Keisel, and more past the fifth round. The organization has also been able to trade for some huge names like Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jerome Bettis, and more. Although the Steelers have made some great acquisitions during the franchise's existence, they have made some poor decisions as well.

Two Of The Steelers' Worst Decisions

Two of the Steelers' worst decisions came within the last five years. The first one was to trade up in the first round to select linebacker Devin Bush with the 10th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. At the time, it made sense, but over time has proven to be a massive flop. The other player on the Steelers who they traded a 2023 fifth-round draft pick for in 2021 was Ahkello Witherspoon. Injuries in his time with Pittsburgh made it seem like he was a waste of a future draft pick. Both however, never lived up to their true potential that fans hoped they would.

Bush showed a ton of promise in his rookie season and was part of the PFWA All-Rookie Team. Once he tore his ACL however, he never seemed to recover. Due to his play, the Steelers never would pick up his fifth-year option and would let him enter free agency. During 2023 free agency, he would get picked up by the Seattle Seahawks.

Witherspoon was traded for early in the 2021 season and played solidly. The Steelers thought he did enough to stay on the team and gave him a two-year extension. He then suffered a hamstring injury and missed eight games of the 2022 season. The Steelers decided to cut him in mid-May. The Los Angeles Rams then took a chance on him and gave him a contract this offseason.

Although many believed that both Witherspoon and Bush would never make it again in the NFL, that may not be true. Witherspoon has been playing solid football and has now been up for debate for the best interception of the year after an insane pick against the Cincinnati Bengals. Bush has had a quiet start to the season, not getting much action, but has played better when in. The most notable fact is that both of them are ranked in the top five for their position for the lowest passer rating allowed. 

The biggest question with both of them will be consistency. Bush not getting a ton of action makes you wonder if he will be able to keep this up when he sees the field again, or will he look like what he did toward the end of his time with the Steelers. Witherspoon has slowly seen more playing time with the Rams after his big-time interception and may continue to do so.

With both Bush and Witherspoon, it never seemed to be a talent issue, more or less an injury issue. Once Bush suffered his injury, he looked scared and wouldn't fly around to get the football like he used to. With Witherspoon, it just seemed like the Steelers didn't want to deal with the aging cornerback anymore and called it quits on him. Hopefully, in the future, they both continue to play well and finish their careers off on a high note.

So, what do you think, Steeler Nation? Will Bush and Witherspoon manage to get their careers back on the right track? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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