The Pittsburgh Steelers had a rough 2023 season on numerous fronts. Yet the team was able to pull together and earn the seventh seed in the AFC playoffs before losing to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round. Now the focus has shifted to the offseason and preparing for the 2024 season.
To no one’s surprise, most of the attention is being paid to the offensive side of the ball. The Steelers need an offensive coordinator to help them figure out their quarterback situation. So when team president Art Rooney II met with beat reporters on Monday, he talked a lot about the offense. However, he was also sure to speak about the defense and praised the job the coaching staff did amid less-than-ideal circumstances, per audio from 93.7 The Fan.
“On the defensive side of the ball, I don’t like to make excuses, but we got hit with a rash of injuries that at times was difficult to overcome,” Rooney said. “All things considered, I thought our coaches did a good job plugging in guys who I needed a program to figure out who they were on Sunday sometimes. So it was a little crazy at times on that side. But bottom line is, I think we have a core group of solid players on the defensive side that we can build on and win with.”
The Steelers saw plenty of defensive players miss time during the 2023 season. The team had three defensive players go down with season-ending injuries, including two of the free-agent acquisitions at inside linebacker, Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb with S Keanu Neal being the third. The safety position was hard hit throughout the season beyond Neal. Minkah Fitzpatrick missed multiple games, Elijah Riley went on injured reserve for four games, and Trenton Thompson missed games as well.
Pittsburgh needed a combination of shrewd midseason free agent signings, practice squad elevations, and coaching to overcome the injury problems on the defensive side of the ball. Prior to the start of the season, the team added three free agents at inside linebacker: Alexander, Holcomb, and Elandon Roberts. As noted above, two of those players suffered season-ending injuries midway through the season and even Roberts battled with some injuries later in the season.
So linebackers coach Aaron Curry, in his first season with the Steelers, had his work cut out for him. He had to handle bringing in-season acquisitions like Myles Jack and Blake Martinez up to speed and get them ready to play on Sundays. His coaching job caught the eye of veteran defensive tackle Cam Heyward, who said Curry was “doing a great job” handling the injuries and turnover.
While the number of injuries was a major problem in-season, it did lead to valuable playing time for other players. Roberts proved to be a quality starter at inside linebacker, posting his second career 100-plus total tackle season with 101 while also adding 2.5 sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, six quarterback hits, and two passes defended. S Damontae Kazee, who many expected to be battling Neal for playing time, finished third on the team in tackles with 61 while he also grabbed three interceptions, recovered two fumbles, and defended three passes. Another major acquisition was S Eric Rowe. He only played three games for the Steelers but proved to be a difference maker. He had one interception, two passes defended, 29 total tackles, and a tackle for a loss.
With the offseason to get healthy, the Steelers should see a number of these injured players ready to go for 2024. Factor in the playing experience other players received and the defense could make an even bigger impact in 2024.
