In a busy offseason that saw a number of significant additions and subtractions to the roster for the Pittsburgh Steelers, one stands above the rest for former Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive lineman Max Starks.
It might not be the name many people cite either.
Appearing on Friday’s Movin’ The Chains radio show on SiriusXM with host Lance Medow, Starks highlighted inside linebacker Myles Jack as the Steelers’ most impactful and best offseason addition, ahead of rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett and veteran free agent quarterback Mitch Trubisky due to the impact Jack will have on the Steelers’ defense, which could be a top 5 unit once again in 2022.
“I think bringing in a linebacker as aggressive and as good as Myles Jack is a huge boost defensively because you need that on the defensive side to have that leader, a guy who can go sideline the sideline,” Starks said Friday, according to audio via SiriusXM. “I think Devin Bush…I think Myles will also push him and we will really see what Devin Bush is made of this year.
“Now he’s one more year removed from that knee injury,” Starks added. “The hesitancy that you saw from him last year, hopefully he can put that behind him, but Myles Jack will be the guy that will be pushing him to be that better version of himself at the inside linebacker position, because all of that attention that’s gonna be go to going to him.”
Jack was certainly a significant addition to the Steelers’ roster, giving Pittsburgh a solid piece on the inside of the defense after struggling to replace Vince Williams last season with Joe Schoebert.
After being cut by the Jaguars just a few years into a long-term extension, the standout linebacker lands in a strong situation overall on a defense with star-level talent at all three levels, making him just another piece in the machine that is the Steelers’ defense, rather than being the key cog.
As Starks points out though, the addition of Jack gives the Steelers that aggressive, sideline-to-sideline linebacker that fits in perfectly in the Steelers’ 3-4 system. He’ll also be able to push fourth-year linebacker Devin Bush in hopes of getting him back to his rookie-year level of play.
Seeing a guy with a similar skillset next to him playing well should cause Bush to take it up another notch. Competition breeds excellence, and that’s exactly what the Steelers are aiming and hoping for from their inside linebacker tandem one year after the Steelers simply couldn’t stop the run on a consistent basis.
If Jack can reach his potential in Pittsburgh once again, the Steelers’ defense will benefit greatly from it. In turn, the Steelers should be able to win a lot of games based on the defense’s ability to create turnovers and get off the field consistently.
