The Pittsburgh Steelers continued their busy free agency with the signing of Markus Golden, addressing the much-needed experienced depth on the edge that we’ve been clamoring for at Steelers Depot. Today I want to provide some data context to what he provided last season as a run defender following my pass rush article, along with Pittsburgh’s edge rushers as well.
Let’s get right to it, starting with 2022 run snaps and average tackle depth on such plays from PFF to get a gauge of the position comparatively.
Alex Highsmith led the group we’re focused on in run snaps (354) which ranked 11th out of the 91 qualifying edge rushers last season. He was also above the mean in average tackle depth (2.2), which tied for 35th. Golden was also above average in both data points, with 267 run snaps (38th) along with a strong 1.7 average tackle depth that tied for 19th best in the league in 2022 and was second in each data point of the players in our sights today. T.J. Watt had the top results through Steelers lenses in average tackle depth (1.5), which tied for 13th in the NFL at the position in 2022, but had limited opportunity comparatively due to injury, with just 189 run snaps (65th). Encouraging information so far for all three players, with each being above the league mean in average tackle depth and the trendline for the position in 2022 given their opportunities.
Now let’s look at types of tackles, solo versus assisted, against the run:
As expected, Highsmith led the players in our sights in solo run tackles (26) given his highest number of opportunities which tied for 22nd in the NFL, along with 10 assists (T-18th), landing him above average in both. Golden led the players we’re focused on in assists (16), which ranked sixth in the NFL last season, an encouraging element that supports the film study our own Jonathan Heitritter did, with a big takeaway being his relentless motor and effort that is heralded in Pittsburgh. Golden was below the league mean in solo run tackles though (18). That tied for 53rd, so it would obviously be ideal to see that number go up in 2023 with the Steelers. To further this point, we see Watt was one of the players that tied Golden in solo run tackles on far less snap opportunities, while having five assists that tied for 68th in his shortened 2022 season.
Next, I wanted to see how the players fared in a “hit or miss” type view with stop percentage, which uses the successful play rates formula (less than 40% on first down, 50% or less on second down, and third or fourth down plays kept from a first down or touchdown) and missed tackle percentage:
Here we see Watt fared best from a rate perspective, with a great 4.2% missed tackle percentage in these situations that tied for 13th in the NFL, and a solid 7.5% stop rate that ranked 18th, making him the only player through Steelers lenses that was above average in both. Golden encouragingly fared best in missed tackle rate (5.6%), which was close to Watt’s result and tied for 20th league-wide, another strength he can hopefully provide the black and gold this year. Golden was below average in stop percentage though at 4.9%, which was the lowest of the three focused players and tied for 67th in the NFL. This is important context, while he finished his tackle opportunities solidly, they did not come in impact situations on average comparatively, and also important to factor his much higher rate of assisted run tackles when taking all this in. Highsmith surprisingly landed below the mean in both, with a 5.2% stop rate that tied for 59th, and a 16.3% missed tackle rate that was the worst in our sights today and a lowly 73rd across the league. Here’s to hoping this is a big area of improvement for him in 2023 considering his great pass rushing strides last year.
To close, let’s look at a more total view of how the players fared in the run game with PFF run defense grades along with points above replacement (the difference between the player’s points above average and a replacement level player in the same facet of the game) from Sports Info Solutions (SIS):
The 2022 Steelers fared stronger in PFF run defense grades, with Watt topping these results at 77.1 (11th), and a bit lower 2.2 PAR tying for 27th, landing him above the mean in both data points. Highsmith was second in our sights with a 73.3 PFF run defense grade (19th), but a -0.1 PAR that was the only below the mean result (slightly) through Steelers lenses and ranked 47th. Golden fared very well in SIS’s metric with an 8.0 PAR that ranked an impressive seventh, but lower in PFF’s eyes with a 65.1 PFF run defense grade (42nd). That was still above the league mean and landed him above average in both data points.
So, Golden fared best in PAR with a top 10 rank, along with top 20 results in average tackle depth (including nine tackles for loss), assisted run tackles highlighting his strong motor to not give up on plays, and missed tackle rate, which are all encouraging strengths he hopefully brings with him to Pittsburgh. He was had an above-average number of run snaps and PFF run defense grade, while he was only below the mean in solo run tackles and stop percentage. This is important context to factors he can hopefully provide more at in 2023, being able to bring rushers down individually and in more timely situations in the game. Very solid results overall though when anticipating what he can provide the black and gold this season, and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.
What are your takeaways from the data? Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
