In a span of 10 plays, the Pittsburgh Steelers had the misfortune of losing three defensive starters to injury. In an otherwise fantastic night for the Steelers defense in a resounding 37-19 victory, this certainly was the lowlight of the game.
First to go was linebacker Jarvis Jones, who broke his wrist on play where he forced a Cam Newton fumble. Jones had surgery earlier this week to repair the fracture, and the Steelers placed Jones on the injured reserve/designated to return, meaning Jones will miss a minimum of eight weeks before he can return.
Next to go was Ryan Shazier, who was the victim of “friendly fire” when his knee was hyperextended due to Lawrence Timmons falling on it while making a tackle. The fluky injury was unfortunate for Shazier, as he was the first defensive player to start Week 1 since Kendrell Bell did it in 2001.
Though the injury, a sprained MCL, appears to be relatively minor, it will more than likely still keep Shazier out for multiple weeks.
Finally, Timmons was once again inadvertently at the center of the third injury, this time to Ike Taylor. Taylor shattered his forearm attempting to make a tackle on Panthers receiver Kelvin Benjamin. Timmons made contact with Taylor with his helmet, and that led to the gruesome break. Taylor’s season is very much in doubt, though he insists he will be ready to play again this season.
Regardless, all three players were considered key components to a defense still trying to get back to the old form Steeler fans grew accustomed to. With Jones, Shazier and Taylor out, who will step into their roles and fill the void in their absence?
In the case of Jones replacement, the Steelers made the decision to reunite with recently retired James Harrison. The 36-year-old Harrison comes in with many question marks in terms of what he has left to give, not to mention the fact that Harrison had no training camp. With only a few days of practice under his belt when the Steelers host the Buccaneers on Sunday, its hard to expect an immediate impact from Harrison.
It would seem that the Steelers will ease Harrison back into some type of role, and it is likely that at best, he will split some reps with likely starter, Arthur Moats. Moats has plenty of experience, and played fairly well replacing Jones, registering a sack Sunday night.
In a perfect world, Harrison will prove he has enough football left in him to get the job done while Jones is out. You can expect to see plenty of Moats early on though, who should be steady, but unspectacular.
Replacing Shazier is probably going to be the easiest to do long term. As I wrote during training camp, I am a big believer in Sean Spence. He seems to be healthy, and if he is, he’s more than capable of stepping in and doing the job. Spence is a smart player who prepares well, and has a knack for being around the play consistently. That’s exactly what the Steelers want from the inside linebackers, so I feel good about Spence.
If Spence falters, second-year linebacker Vince Williams, who started 10 games last season as a rookie, is certainly a viable option. Already with a chip on his shoulder when the Steelers spent a first-round pick on Shazier, you know Williams would love to see action and prove he’s capable of getting the job done when given the chance. Finally, if Harrison does prove to be worthy of starting, Moats has experience playing inside as a starter there for the Bills.
The biggest hole might be that left by Taylor. Though he had a tough year last season, he’s still a very solid player who used his big frame to take on bigger receivers and just as importantly, support the run.
With Taylor out, the Steelers are dangerously thin at the position. The hope is that William Gay and Antwon Blake can pick up the slack, but as Mike Tomlin alluded to in his press conference, both Brice McCain and B.W. Webb will get a look this week to see if they can contribute. Of note is the fact that McCain has starting experience while with the Houston Texans, he was dreadful last year, but he might play if the Steelers are not comfortable with Blake.
One last interesting note was Tomlin’s assertion that safety Shamarko Thomas will not be used to fill the void. It could be argued that going to the “big nickel” package by using three safeties, could be an option. However, Tomlin quickly shut that notion down.
