to begin the 2016 season after Kelvin Beachum left via free agency and after outperforming Ryan Harris in training camp. Villanueva struggled early on in the season and surrendered five sacks in the first six games of the season. His run blocking and pass protection greatly improved after Week 7 and he only allowed one sack in the last ten games, helping the Pittsburgh Steelers reach the playoffs. He finished the season ranking as the 23rd best offensive tackle in the league after receiving an 82.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. Including the three playoff games, Villanueva allowed 46 pressures and was penalized eight times in 19 starts with 26 of those pressures and five penalties coming in the first six regular season games. From Week 11 to the AFC Championship, he performed well enough to rank as the best offensive tackle in that span. 2017 On July 27, 2017, Villanueva signed a four-year, $24 million contract extension with the Steelers. Villanueva was credited with creating an audible that included the phrase "Dilly Dilly" from a Bud Light television commercial, that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger later used in a live game. On December 19, 2017, Villanueva was named to his first Pro Bowl along with fellow Steeler offensive linemen David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey. He became the first service academy graduate to play in the Pro Bowl since Roger Staubach in 1979. Villanueva started all 16 games in received an overall grade of 74.3 from Pro Football Focus. His grade ranked him 24th among all offensive tackles in the NFL. National anthem controversy On September 24, 2017, prior to a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, the Steelers did not take the field for the national anthem in order to avoid getting caught up in the controversy related to players kneeling or displaying other signs of racial protest around the NFL started by Colin Kaepernick. Villanueva was the lone member of the Steelers to appear publicly for the national anthem, standing in front of the entrance tunnel for the performance while the rest of the team remained in the tunnel. Head coach Mike Tomlin stated a wish to simply play the game and not allow for any show of support one way or the other on the issue. Likely as a result of this, Villanueva's jersey became the top selling jersey on the NFL's official store in the