The Pittsburgh Steelers joined the NFL in 1933 as part of an expansion with the Philadelphia Eagles and very short-lived Cincinnati Reds. With a team that's been around for so long and had so much success, it can be difficult to get your name into the record books.
Recently, SteelerNation's Matt Papiernik took a look at the case of Najee Harris surpassing Barry Foster's 1992 single-season mark of 1,690 rushing yards. Papiernik argued that with the upgrades to the offensive line in the offseason, plus a look at the numbers to show, if things drop the right way, Harris has a good shot to topple the record that's stood for 31 years.
So, there's one player potentially in line for a spot in the Pittsburgh history book, but who are some of the others that have a chance to add to it as well?
James Harrison is the Steelers' all-time sack leader with 80.5, but his spot at the top of the leaderboard will end soon. Harrison registered his final quarterback bring-down in 2017, getting to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith on third down for an eight-yard loss. This forced a punt to help Pittsburgh bleed out the clock and take a 19-13 win. Now, two of his teammates from that day are pretty much sure bets to send him sliding down to third place.
Cam Heyward has 78.5 sacks entering the 2023 season. So, he only needs two to tie and any more than that gets him the number one crown. Heyward has only registered less than three sacks in a season twice, in 2011 and 2012, when he wasn't even starting yet.
TJ Watt was certainly helped by the advice of Harrison even if not initially, according to a story on the Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger that Harrison told about being there in Watt's rookie year. Now, he's likely to pass him for the number-one spot of all time. Watt has an edge on Heyward in the long-term future. He turns 29 in October and is signed for one more year than the 34-year-old Heyward, who will be 38 when the deal expires. Watt exploded to tie the all-time official sack record in 2021, and despite injury, still managed to have an impactful season in 2022. He had his lowest sack total ever with only 5.5 in 10 games, but had 12 quarterback hits, eight tackles for a loss, two interceptions, and five pass breakups. If Watt can avoid injury on and off the field, he should claim the Pittsburgh sack crown soon.
Steelers Kicker Inching Closer To The Top
Chris Boswell has been a pretty effective kicker for the Steelers since 2015. He's had his rough patches and it looks like the Steelers are giving him some competition in camp to keep him on his toes. The veteran is under contract until 2026 and should by the end of 2023 be in a position to top some of the records in Pittsburgh for points scored, and field goals made. He currently sits in third for total points with 885 behind Jeff Reed (919) and Gary Anderson (1,342). Boswell sits just two made field goals behind Reed (204), but has a ways to go to catch Anderson (309).
Who do you think breaks Harrison's record first next year? Do Watt and Heyward battle for the title?
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