Tag: Alejando Villanueva

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line ranking entering the 2020 season

Here’s a look at where PFF ranks the Steelers heading into the upcoming season.

The Steelers offensive line has been in the league’s top 10 for several years running, thanks to a limit on its moving parts. Unfortunately, they lost veteran guard Ramon Foster to retirement in the offseason. He had been slipping in productivity and was likely going to be released anyway. Nevertheless, the change will require a little shuffling.

Pro Football Focus recently ranked all 32 units entering the 2020 season and projected Pittsburgh at No. 9. PFF cites mainstays Alejandro Villanueva, David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey as reasons for their top 10 ranking. They duly noted that run blocking was an issue in 2019, and predict that rookie guard Kevin Dotson as one to keep an eye on to eventually replace Foster.

The Steelers signed Stefen Wisniewski — fresh off the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl team — in free agency. Wisniewski has been around the block a few times, and his experience will be valuable given the limited time the rookies will have in practices and preseason action this year.

If the Steelers can improve on their run blocking this season, I believe it’ll bump the o-line up a few spots.

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What are the Steelers getting in OG Stefen Wisniewski?

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed guard Stefen Wisniewski on Thursday.

It’s not often a veteran gets to play for their hometown team. But Stefen Wisniewski will. The 10-year offensive lineman, who spent seasons with the Raiders, Jaguars, Eagles, and Chiefs, was signed to a two-year contract Thursday.

The Pittsburgh native played high school football at Central Catholic before attending Penn State, where he helped the Nittany Lions to runners-up in the Big Ten title as a junior. The next spring, Wisniewski switched from guard to center, and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.

Wisniewski was drafted with the 48th overall pick by the Oakland Raiders in 2011. He started all 61 games in four seasons at center for the Raiders.

After one season with the Jaguars in 2015, Wisniewski switched to left guard after signing with the Eagles. He became a Super Bowl-winning guard after Philadelphia beat New England in the 2018 Super Bowl.

After a successful three-year run with the Eagles, Wisniewski spent the past two seasons with the Chiefs, where he won his second-consecutive Super Bowl ring. The Chiefs starting LG, Wisniewski’s blocking helped score three unanswered touchdowns in the game’s final minutes of the 2019 Super Bowl. During his two-year Chiefs career, Wisniewski played in pass-blocking 131 snaps over eight games, which earned him an 80.5 grade from Pro Football Focus.

Wisniewski joins a top-ranked Steelers offensive line that is anchored by Pro Bowl center, Maurkice Pouncey, two-time All-Pro guard, David DeCastro; and two-time Pro Bowl left tackle, Alejandro Villanueva. Pittsburgh’s offensive line also includes starting tackle Matt Feiler, whom the team gave a second-round tender, and reserve tackle Zach Banner, who signed a one-year deal with the Steelers Thursday.