Rumor has it that some players who have spent many years playing under head coach Mike Tomlin can still hear shouts of “The more you can do!” late at night when it’s quiet.
I may have initiated the rumor myself right now, granted. But it serves the point of illustrating just how seriously the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach values versatility and position flexibility in his roster. That has only increasingly become the case as the game continues to evolve.
Indeed, it seems as though Tomlin hopes to play everyone everywhere this season, though not all at once—that would be a penalty. He has spoken on the subject of versatility a number of times, and it clearly shaped this year’s roster.
Kevin Dotson’s limitation as strictly a guard played a role in his being traded, make no mistake about that. He was replaced by rookie Spencer Anderson on the roster, seventh-round pick who is capable of playing all five positions on the line.
Strong safety Terrell Edmunds opted to leave in free agency. That role will be filled with a combination of Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal, both of whom should also expect to see time in the slot in nickel or dime defenses.
Tomlin even brought in future Hall of Fame CB Patrick Peterson with designs of moving him all around the field, into the slot, and perhaps even at safety. He’s not the first person to invent the idea of transitioning a boundary cornerback to other parts of the field, but this is a highly notable example.
Look at a player like DL DeMarvin Leal. He played defensive end, defensive tackle, outside linebacker, and even inside linebacker (in specific blitz packages) last season. He is expected to do more of the same in his second year.
The Steelers opted not to re-sign FB Derek Watt. His duties will be subsumed by Connor Heyward, who prefers just to be called a football player, a 6-0, 230-pound meatball (in his brother’s words) who can block in-line or out of the backfield, run nuanced routes, and carry the ball in a traditional set.
This subject applies not just to players’ individual position flexibility but to the personnel flexibility of certain positions. It’s likely we’re going to see rotational packages not just at safety but also at inside linebacker with Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, and Kwon Alexander.
They suddenly have a slew of options for slot defender. Outside of the aforementioned, they have Chandon Sullivan, Elijah Riley, and they even recently added a former All-Pro in Desmond King, who can also play outside.
Though he’s stuck outside, Nick Herbig is a fourth-round rookie whose versatility was touted voluntarily after the Steelers initially selected him. The odds are that if he continues to develop his game, they may experiment with playing him inside in select packages just to help him get on the field more and have an extra rusher.
The imprints of versatility and flexibility as a priority are all over this roster, make no mistake, but it’s always been a present occupation on Tomlin’s teams. Players who played for him more than a decade ago remember it well. Bryant McFadden asked Peterson, his cousin, if he still says it all the time on their All Things Covered podcast.
He does. And probably more than ever.
