The Pittsburgh Steelers have done a good job shoring up both sides of the football leading up to the start of the 2023 season. They added several weapons in the passing game as well as revamped the offensive and defensive lines. The inside linebacker room got a complete makeover while the secondary underwent an overhaul of its own over the course of the offseason.
While Pittsburgh has added several notable names to the secondary NFL analyst and the 33rd Team contributor Charles Davis called the Steelers secondary the team’s great unknown in his Steelers team preview.
“We know about Minkah Fitzpatrick, the perennial Pro Bowl, All-Pro safety. But everyone else is almost a question mark,” Davis said on video from the 33rd Team’s website You had guys leave due to free agency. Guys retire. Patrick Peterson is coming to town now. He’ll play some corner and some safety. But can that backend of the defense become a group that is hard to throw the ball against to help out that defensive front?’
The Steelers saw a mass exodus in the secondary from last season, watching CB Cameron Sutton and S Terrell Edmunds walk in free agency while releasing CBs Arthur Maulet, Ahkello Witherspoon, and William Jackson III. In place of the players lost, Pittsburgh went out and added CBs Patrick Peterson, Joey Porter Jr., Chandon Sullivan, and S Keanu Neal to a group returning Fitzpatrick as well as S Damontae Kazee and CBs Levi Wallace and James Pierre.
The Steelers have a remade secondary intermixed with experienced veterans and youthful rookies going into 2023. While there is notable talent and production on the back end of the defense, this group must come together and provide steady, solid play in order for the defense to operate well as a cohesive unit. The defensive front should be able to generate pressure on the passing game with the likes of OLB T.J. Watt, DL Cameron Heyward, and OLB Alex Highsmith hunting the passer. Still, the secondary needs to give the pass rush time to get home and capitalize on the pressure to make splash plays in coverage, taking the ball away for the defense.
Communication is a huge component to stellar play of defense. With seasoned veterans like Peterson and Fitzpatrick leading the way, Pittsburgh’s secondary should be able to gel early on, giving the team a formidable unit.
