With the Steelers 53-man roster set and the team preparing to open the season at the New England Patriots, let’s look at the depth chart for the defense and special teams.
Defensive line (7): Cameron Heyward, Steve McClendon, Stephon Tuitt, Cam Thomas, Daniel McCullers, L.T. Walton, Caushaud Lyons
The starting trio of Heyward, McClendon and Tuitt won’t remind anyone of let’s say Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel circa 2008, but that does not mean they are capable of a solid year.
Heyward is coming off an outstanding year where he blossomed into a quality starter in his third season. His 7.5 sacks were tied for the team lead and the Steelers will be looking for even bigger contributions in 2015.
Tuitt was able to step in for an injured Keisel late last season and played very well as a starter. The Steelers will be relying on Tuitt to continue to improve and become a stalwart opposite Heyward in year two.
McClendon has had the tough assignment of replacing one of the most underrated and valuable members of the Dick Lebeau era defensive units in Casey Hampton. Despite of battling injuries and arguably being more built to play defensive end, McClendon has been solid as a starter. His efforts will be key if the Steeler are to improve defending the run.
At six-foot seven, 352 pounds McCullers is one of the biggest players in the NFL. The job of backing up McClendon will fall squarely on the massive shoulders of McCullers, and there’s a good chance his role will expand after playing sparingly as a rookie .
Cam Thomas will serve as the primary backup at DE. A lack of depth at the position probably spared Thomas from being cut this preseason. If his play is on par with his 2014 performance, the Steelers will hope to keep him off the field as much as possible.
Walton and Lyons, both rookies, are likely going to provide nothing more than special teams help in 2015.
Linebackers (9): James Harrison, Arthur Moats, Jarvis Jones, Bud Dupree, Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Shazier, Sean Spence, Vince Williams, Terence Garvin
The ability of the linebacker unit to play at a high level might be the biggest key for the Steelers defense to have success this season. Outside linebacker will have a tandem of veterans and two youngsters with first round pedigree attempting to improve on a sack total of 33 — lowest since 1988.
Both Arthur Moats and James Harrison will be asked to play important roles this season. Though only Moats is listed as a starter, it’s likely that Harrison could make a bigger impact. Harrison looked virtually unblockable at times in the preseason, and though Harrison will likely have limited reps, his ability to be a force off the edge is still there at 37-years young.
Jarvis Jones will enter his third season as a starter opposite Moats. Dogged by injuries and shaky play, the Steelers are banking on Jones becoming the dominant force on the outside and fulfill the lofty expectations heaped on him.
Dupree will have the luxury of learning behind Moats, Harrison and Jones in his rookie season. If those three play well, Dupree will likely see limited action on defense and will make his impact on special teams.
Timmons and Shazier have the potential to be as a good a 1-2 punch at inside linebacker in the NFL. Timmons is coming off his first Pro-Bowl season, and Shazier is looking to stay healthy after showing great promise as a rookie. The ability of Timmons-Shazier to play at a high level could be a huge difference for the Steeler defense.
Few teams have the luxury of having quality backups such as Vince Williams and Sean Spence. Both have starting experience and though neither is the caliber of Timmons or Shazier, the Steelers can rely on both to fill in when needed.
Garvin has quietly carved out a niche with the Steelers as a special teams ace and he will once again be asked to thrive in the third phase.
Defensive backs (10): William Gay, Cortez Allen, Antwon Blake, Brandon Boykin, Ross Cockrell, Shamarko Thomas, Mike Mitchell, Will Allen, Robert Golden, Ross Ventrone
One of the biggest question marks heading into the season is the Steeler secondary. Coming off a poor 2014 season and a disastrous preseason performance, the secondary is being viewed as an Achilles heal by fans and media alike.
At cornerback, William Gay has been a solid, consistent contributor both at the nickel position and as a starter on the edge. Unfortunately, the hope is that Gay can be relied on less to be their top cover man, but go back to being an outstanding slot corner in more of an ancillary role.
For that to happen, players like Cortez Allen and Brandon Boykin must prove capable of playing at a high level and that is very much in question at the moment. Allen has been a major disappointment since signing a four-year, $24.6 million contract extension before last season. He will start opposite Gay with Tom Brady and company ready to test him on Thursday night.
Maybe Chip Kelly was onto something when he traded Brandon Boykin? Despite of serious questions at cornerback and ample opportunity to carve out a starting role in Pittsburgh, Boykin has yet to even lock down the nickel role as of yet, with Antwon Blake reportedly making a push for the job heading into week one.
Both Boykin and Blake will be needed and the Steelers will rely on them to bolster one of the weakest positions on the Steelers roster.
When the Steelers added Mike Mitchell via free agency last season, the hope was Mitchell would replace the ultra-reliable Ryan Clark at free safety. Known for having a big play ability and being a hard hitter, Mitchell was largely a failure in his first year with the Steelers. Healthy after playing through injury in 2014, the Steelers must get better play from Mitchell this season.
Like Mitchell last year, Shamarko Thomas heads into 2015 looking to replace a long time starter. Unfortunately for Thomas, that starter is Troy Polamalu, one of the greatest safeties in NFL history. Thomas has struggled mightily this preseason, so much that there are indications that veteran Will Allen might supplant Thomas as a starter at strong safety.
Keep an eye on special teams captain Robert Golden. In his fourth season with the Steelers, Golden seems to be gaining the trust of the coaches to be more than just a special teams contributor. If Mitchell, Thomas and Allen struggle or succumb to injury, Golden might see the field on defense.
Special Teams: Dri Archer (KR) Antonio Brown (PR) Josh Scobee (K) Jordan Berry (P) Greg Warren (LS)
On returns, Dri Archer will get another opportunity to prove he is capable of being the Steelers primary return man. Although Archer starts the season only returning kickoffs, you can bet the Steelers would love to see Archer improve enough to take Antonio Brown off of punt return duties. Markus Wheaton will be ready if Archer falters.
Already one of the best WR’s in the game, Brown also provides the Steelers with game breaking abilities as a punt returner. The question becomes: At what point do you consider protecting your All-Pro receiver from the risky task of returning punts?
Punter Jordan Berry had an impressive camp and it was enough to beat out incumbent and fellow Aussie Brad Wing, who was traded to the New York Giants. Berry has a booming leg, and the hope is he can solidify the punting situation long term.
It was not that long ago the Steelers were set at kicker with Shaun Suisham. Unfortunately, a severe knee injury in the preseason would put Suisham on the IR and injury replacement Garrett Hartley lasted a little over a week before a hamstring injury would end his brief stint as a Steeler.
This would necessitate the Steelers trading a late round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for proven veteran Josh Scobee. Scobee has a strong leg which should improve the touchback rate this season, and though his accuracy numbers are not quite as good as Suisham, Scobee was able to stick in Jacksonville for over a decade — never an easy task for a kicker.
