Coty Sensabaugh is one of the forgotten men in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ secondary, for sure. That just happens naturally every year, but Sensabaugh is hoping to prove that such a marginalized status for him in 2018 is not justified.
The sixth-year veteran is heading into his second season with the Steelers and is in a tough battle for a roster spot, but he has had a good training camp and did well in the preseason opener, albeit with a notable blemish with a missed tackle. He didn’t log a ton of snaps, but let’s take a look at where he did work against the Eagles.
Of course his highlight came early when he was able to record an interception of third-string quarterback Nate Sudfeld on Philadelphia’s opening possession. On a second-and-six play, the Steelers ran a basic trap coverage scheme that the young thrower failed to pick up on, leading to a fairly routine play for a veteran to be able to make.
Another play that I do want to point out comes about halfway through the opening frame, and even though it was a negative play for the defense overall, it was an individual win for Sensabaugh. The Eagles picked up a six-yard run on second and five, but Sensabaugh was able to make the tackle after he runner broke through to the second level to prevent a larger gain.
Then of course there was the missed tackle that came somewhat early in the second quarter. Facing a third and five, the Eagles tossed a ball to their back out in the flat, giving him the chance to work one-on-one with the cornerback. We wouldn’t be talking about the play if the running back lost that match.
It was a couple of plays after that that the Eagles would score a touchdown, but it wasn’t Sensabaugh’s doing. As you watch the replay, you see him communicating ahead of the play to try to organize the coverage ahead of him.
The veteran rolled out to his correct coverage, but once the pressure on this play failed to get home, it left the defense vulnerable from a time standpoint, and the quarterback and pass-catcher were able to make the adjustment to find the soft spot in the zone behind Jon Bostic and Terrell Edmunds.
Sensabaugh still has a chance to make the roster, especially if he continues to put together strong practices and makes a couple of plays during the preseason. Still, the veteran cornerback knows that he needs to be better than he was a year ago.
