This post was originally published on this site
Looking back on Steelers football, one decade ago.
Can you name a better offseason activity than naming random NFL players from the past? No, no you can’t.
Earlier this year, I solicited some article ideas from BTSC readers, and one of them was a “where are they now” piece on past Steelers. Believe it or not, 2015 was a decade ago, and that felt like a natural spot to look back on from 2025.
In that season, the Steelers finished 10-6 and placed second in the AFC North behind the 12-4 Cincinnati Bengals. However, the Steelers would knock the Bengals out of the Wild Card round (the Martavis Bryant flip catch game) before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in the Divisional round.
In the first half of this series, we’ll be looking at the major offensive contributors on that team. You can view statistics, full rosters, and more on Pro Football Reference. Here’s what they’re up to now:
QB Ben Roethlisberger (3,938 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns)
- Retired from the NFL following the 2021 season.
- The Steelers’ all-time leader in just about every passing stat; fifth-most passing yards and eight-most passing touchdowns in NFL history.
- Currently co-hosts the Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger podcast on YouTube.
- Roethlisberger’s BigBen7.com website posts updates regarding the former quarterback’s announcements and community events.
RB DeAngelo Williams (907 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns)
Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images
- Last played in 2016; officially retired in 2018.
- Started most of 2015 for the Steelers due to Le’Veon Bell missing time with a suspension to open the season and a Nov. 1 season-ending torn MCL.
- Brief stint as a professional wrestler post-NFL.
- Started the The DeAngelo Williams Foundation in 2006, which seeks “to develop and seek initiatives to support the eradication of breast cancer through preventative care and research.” The organization’s sixth annual “DeAthlon” fundraiser will take place Aug. 2.
RB Le’Veon Bell (556 rushing yards, three touchdowns)
- Appeared in just six games in 2015 due to suspension and injury.
- Bell’s last season with the Steelers would be 2017. He’d sit out the 2018 season due to a contract dispute before signing with the New York Jets as a free agent in 2019. He then spent time with the Chiefs, Ravens, and Buccaneers, last playing in 2021.
- During the end of his NFL career and afterwards, Bell has dabbled in professional boxing as recently as 2024.
- Started releasing rap music in 2018 with “Target.” His latest is the Donald Trump-themed 2025 single “They Mad.” He releases some of his music and various livestreams, including competitive gaming, on his YouTube channel.
- Bell was found liable in March to pay a female relative $25 million in damages in a sexual abuse case. Bell has denied the allegations.
WR Antonio Brown (136 catches, 1,834 yards, 10 touchdowns)
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
- Last played in 2021, ending his career with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Was traded from the Steelers to the Raiders in 2019 but never played.
- Won a Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers in the 2020-21 season.
- Finished his Steelers career second all-time in most receiving stats behind Hines Ward.
- In June, Brown was wanted for attempted murder in Miami. His whereabouts and current legal situation remain unclear. Since his 2018 season, Brown’s career has been once scandal after the next.
WR Markus Wheaton (44 catches, 749 receiving yards, five touchdowns)
- After his time with the Steelers, Wheaton spent one year with the Chicago Bears and another with the Philadelphia Eagles. He last played in 2018.
- Put up 201 yards against the Legion of Boom in 2015.
- Recently, he talked about the serious injuries he suffered in the NFL: “My brain is a little messed up.”
- Currently is a managing partner for Western Skies Landscaping in his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona.
WR Martavis Bryant (50 catches, 765 receiving yards, six touchdowns)
- Was suspended the entirety of the 2016 season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.
- Traded to the Raiders in 2018. He’s since bounced around multiple leagues and teams: the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Elks, the Indoor Football League’s Massachusetts Pirates, the Fan-Controlled Football League’s FCF Beasts, and the XFL’s Vegas Vipers.
- Recently spent time on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad (2023) and the Washington Commanders (August 2024). He’s currently unsigned, but hasn’t retired. He’s 33 years old.
TE Heath Miller (60 catches, 535 receiving yards, two touchdowns)
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
- 2015 would be Miller’s last season in the NFL. He retired in February of 2016.
- This 2020 feature on Miller notes he lives in Virginia with his wife and four children. He stays out of the spotlight: “I’ve never really felt comfortable being the guy with the attention thrust on me and that’s why I don’t really do a lot of interviews or stuff like that.”
- Miller, the Steelers’ all-time leader for most tight end statistics, was inducted into the team’s Hall of Honor in 2022.
TE Matt Spaeth (Two catches, 10 receiving yards)
Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images
- 2015 was also Spaeth’s last NFL season; he’d be released in 2016 with a failed physical.
- Spaeth has kept a low profile since his NFL days, but he’s still connected with the Steelers organization and his former teammates.
- Per a 2018 interview with Steelers Takeaways, Spaeth sells real estate in North Hills.
LT Alejandro Villanueva (10 starts)
- 2015 marked Villanueva’s first time appearing in regular season NFL games after going undrafted in 2010. Over those five years, he served as an Army ranger.
- He’d play in the NFL as a starting tackle through 2021, officially retiring in 2022 after a one-and-done year with the Baltimore Ravens.
- Earned his MBA from Carnegie Mellon in 2019.
- Now a fruit farmer in Homestead, Florida per an interview with Steelers Takeaways. He makes the odd podcast appearance, too.
LG Ramon Foster (16 starts)
- Last played in 2019; retired in 2020 after playing his entire 11-year career with the Steelers.
- He currently hosts the Ramon Foster Steelers Show for DK Pittsburgh Sports, and co-hosts the “Ramon and Will” show for 104.5 The Zone, a radio station in Tennessee.
- Foster was recently named to Vol Network’s 2025 Tennessee Volunteers football broadcast team as an analyst. He played college football at Tennessee.
- Still involved in the NFLPA; Foster was the officer who upheld Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair’s suspension in 2024.
C Cody Wallace (16 starts)
- Started entire season as Maurkice Pouncey missed 2015 with a broken fibula.
- 2015 would be Wallace’s last year in the NFL. He was hurt in 2016 and never made it back on the field.
- Per a 2020 interview with Steelers Takeaways, Wallace partnered with his brother-in-law to start a termite inspection company in California.
RG David DeCastro (16 starts)
- DeCastro’s last NFL season was 2020. The Steelers cut him in 2021 with a non-football injury designation after six consecutive Pro Bowls.
- He’s now an investor in the medical marijuana company Whole Plants LLC, alongside former Steelers Ben Roethlisberger and Bud Dupree. DeCastro was the applicant for the Whole Plants location in Ross Township, Pennsylvania, that was approved in March despite some controversy.
RT Marcus Gilbert (16 starts)
- Gilbert played with the Steelers through the 2018 season. He was traded to the Arizona Cardinals ahead of the 2019 season, but dealt with injuries and never appeared in a game. He retired in 2021.
- Married Republican political figure Madison Geisotto in 2021.
- This 2019 article from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler centers on how therapy helped Gilbert deal with the pressures and criticisms of playing in the NFL.
Other notable Steelers on offense in 2015:
- WR Darrius Heyward-Bey
- FB Roosevelt Nix
- C Doug Legursky
- G Chris Hubbard (Last played in 2024 — still an active free agent)
- QB Landry Jones
- TE Jesse James
- LT Kelvin Beachum (Still in the NFL! Now on the Cardinals)
- C Maurkice Pouncey (missed season)
- WR Sammie Coates
- QB Mike Vick (started three games!)
Stay tuned for part two: defense — coming soon!