Throughout the 2023 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been dealt blow after blow from an injury standpoint, especially on the defensive side of the football.
Losing key inside linebackers Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander in back-to-back weeks was tough for the Steelers. They haven’t exactly overcome it.
Now, entering Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in a must-win game, the Steelers are perilously thin at safety.
On Monday, head coach Mike Tomlin ruled out star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick with a knee injury that he suffered against the Indianapolis Colts last Saturday. Then, moments after Tomlin’s press conference, news broke that veteran safety Damontae Kazee was suspended for the rest of the season following his hit on Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., which led to his ejection.
Though Kazee plans on appealing, chances are very slim he has his suspension reduced or rescinded, allowing him to see the field Saturday against the Bengals.
That leaves the Steelers very thin at the safety position. Trenton Thompson, who has started one game for the Steelers this season and played in six, is the next man up on the depth chart, while practice squad veteran Eric Rowe will likely be elevated. Along with those two at the safety position, Miles Killebrew could see some action against the Bengals, as well as cornerback Patrick Peterson, who played some safety Saturday against the Colts.
Rowe, 31, has not played an NFL snap in the regular season since Week 14 of 2022. Rowe saw action in the preseason this summer with the Carolina Panthers, logging 99 snaps. He graded out at a 63.2 overall from Pro Football Focus in the preseason, including a 69.5 as a run defender and a 59.7 in pass coverage.
Rowe allowed four receptions on six targets in the preseason for 52 yards and a touchdown. He played 68 snaps at free safety, 11 in the slot and 20 in the box for the Panthers in the preseason. In his career, he’s played 4,553 snaps defensively during stints with the Eagles, Patriots and Dolphins. He’s played 1,410 snaps in the box, 1,380 snaps at cornerback and 1,119 snaps at free safety.
After losing Kazee to ejection and Fitzpatrick to injury on back-to-back plays Saturday, Peterson played 30 snaps at free safety. That might be the way the Steelers lean on Saturday against the Bengals, too. Though he has some experience there and had some practice time at safety in training camp, it’s not exactly a comforting feeling entering a matchup against the explosive Bengals down to the bare minimum at the safety position.
Chances are, Pittsburgh will bring in a safety or two this week for workouts and add one to the practice squad to try and solidify depth. But things are rather thin at the position for Pittsburgh late in the season.
