9. Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh Steelers
Without Ben Roethlisberger for most of the season, Pittsburgh’s offense absolutely cratered and wasted the efforts of the team’s top-level defense. The Steelers fell from sixth in Football Outsiders’ opponent-adjusted offensive metrics in 2018 to dead last in 2019. As much as that offense was a disaster area with Mason Rudolph and Devlin “Duck” Hodges taking snaps from center, the guy snapping the ball was impressively consistent, especially in pass protection. Pouncey allowed no sacks, four quarterback hits, and 14 quarterback hurries in a season where just about everything around him was falling apart. Though he was suspended two games for his role in the Steelers’ dust-up with the Browns last season, and he missed Week 17 with a knee injury, but he still managed 489 pass-blocking snaps at a high level. Perhaps an overall offensive turnaround for the Steelers is all Pouncey will need to vault up this list next year.
Pass protection isn't passive: Use your hands aggressively to keep defenders at bay and out of your chest. Maurkice Pouncey is REALLY good at this. pic.twitter.com/b7Tvfz7HxI
— Doug Farrar (@NFL_DougFarrar) June 25, 2019