The Pittsburgh Steelers boast one of the deepest rosters they’ve had in years, but a handful of positions still carry significant question marks. Inside linebacker tops that list, where training camp will go a long way toward sorting out the depth chart.
“The uncertainty lies in the base defense,” The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo wrote. “A year ago, the Steelers signed [Malik] Harrison to fill Elandon Roberts’ old role. Harrison was injured and underwhelmed. As it stands now, I’d pencil in [Cole] Holcomb as the starter in base defense. I could see Carson Bruener getting more snaps on defense, too, which could put Harrison’s spot on the 53 in jeopardy.”
Harrison appeared in 11 games, including nine starts for the Steelers last year. He only registered 41 tackles with just two TFL and had nine missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.
He was thought to be a cut candidate after his underwhelming performance. That could still happen, especially if Bruener proves he has value beyond special teams. After registering 19 special teams tackles as a rookie, Bruener’s arrow is pointing straight up. He’s a near-lock to make the roster on special teams value alone, but there’s plenty to suggest his talents will translate.
Look at how he uses his hands to engage the blocker, discard him to the ground and close in to make the tackle.
Bruener flashed that ability multiple times as a rookie, giving the Steelers reason to believe his production can translate to a larger defensive role if given the opportunity.
Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson will play the most snaps, but last year showed that Wilson may need a supplemental counterpart on run downs. If you ask DeFabo, that is most likely to be Holcomb, putting Harrison’s job in jeopardy. And if Carson Bruener doesn’t look ready, the Steelers could turn to the free agent market at roster cutdowns.
“If another player becomes available around cutdown day, this is a position I believe the Steelers would at least consider adding to,” DeFabo wrote.
However it shakes out, the Steelers have much to decide at a critical position for what is otherwise a loaded defense.