Being considered a team’s Most Valuable Player is one of the biggest compliments and accomplishments a player can receive in a career. This may sound biased, but I feel like this award carries more weight inside of the Pittsburgh Steelers, given names such as Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jerome Bettis, Troy Polamalu, and Terry Bradshaw being members of the Steelers’ MVP club. With training camp looming and the preseason itching to get underway, I wanted to take a look at five players who could win team MVP in 2021. First, let’s review the team MVP list going back to the 2010 season:
2010- Troy Polamalu, S
2011- Antonio Brown, WR
2012- Heath Miller, TE
2013- Antonio Brown, WR
2014- Le’Veon Bell, RB
2015- Antonio Brown, WR
2016- Le’Veon Bell, RB
2017- Antonio Brown, WR
2018- JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR
2019- T.J. Watt, LB
2020- T.J. Watt, LB
Without further ado, here are my five players who could be added to that list in 2021:
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Minkah Fitzpatrick, S
For Fitzpatrick to win MVP, it is going to have to be a result of incredible interception numbers. With a healthy Steelers’ defensive front and linebacker corps, he should be able to lurk behind the defense and play center field. For reference in 2010, Polamalu made 7 interceptions with one touchdown, a forced fumble, a sack, and 49 solo tackles. In 2019, Fitzpatrick made 5 interceptions with a touchdown, 2 forced fumbles, and 44 solo tackles. In 2020, he made 4 interceptions with a touchdown, one force fumble, and 60 solo tackles. On paper, Fitzpatrick is very close to putting up “Polamalu numbers” and we have a good chance of seeing that in 2021.
Devin Bush, LB
Coming off tearing an ACL is not easy. Coming off an ACL tear and performing at an elite level the following year is herculean. Adrian Peterson proved this is not impossible in 2012, and other top NFL players have followed suit. This is a good sign for Bush’s chances to bounce back stronger than ever in 2021. Looking at his 2019 season, Bush posted 72 solo tackles, 2 interceptions, a forced fumble with a touchdown, and a sack. After missing the majority of the 2020 season, Bush is going to be hungrier than ever to perform at a high level and be the leader on defense.
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Cam Heyward, DL
In his incredible, successful career, Heyward has never won MVP. Seeing as though positions on the defensive line aren’t necessarily “glamorous”, he tends to get overshadowed. Heyward has been a 6-time team captain and is highly respected in the locker room. Heyward has been a consistent, reliable anchor on defense and is the definition of a team player. Heyward has won various player awards in his career, and team MVP should be added to that list.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR
Another season, another contract-year for Smith-Schuster. After an eventful offseason exploring free agency, he decided to come back to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal to prove he can be a top-tier, elite wide receiver. In his 2018 MVP season, Smith-Schuster put up incredible numbers, but then seemed to fall off the following two seasons. However, looking at those two seasons, one was without Ben Roethlisberger and the other (2020) featured a lethargic Randy Fichtner offense. With a new offensive coordinator in Matt Canada and a high-potential wide receiving corps, I think the Steelers are going to reap the benefits of another Smith-Schuster prove-it year.
Najee Harris, RB
Who was the last Steelers rookie to win team MVP? Franco Harris in 1972. We know the Steelers are looking to relaunch the running game after a lackluster 2020 season, and the pieces are starting to fall into place for Harris to be dominant. Looking at OTA’s and minicamp, Harris looks to be as advertised and is working hard to be a dominant, bruising NFL running back. With General Manager Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin are working on building a solid supporting offensive line, and coach Canada spending a full offseason with Harris, he’s going to be put in the best position possible to succeed. Harris is going to put up monster numbers in 2021 and could find himself as the next Steelers rookie to win MVP in almost 50 years.
Who do you think will win team MVP in 2021? Let us know in the comments below!
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