Buy Or Sell: Retaining Teryl Austin as defensive coordinator was the wrong move.
Explanation: The Steelers gave up the 12th-most yards in the league last season but allowed the sixth-fewest points. They ranked in the top 10 in takeaways, but in the back half of nearly everything else but points scored per drive. Their third-down defense was bad; their red-zone defense was good; their quick-change defense was bad; all in all, it was a mixed bag. The man who presided over that unit is reportedly back for the next two seasons.
Buy:
The Steelers defense benefited from playing a bunch of teams at less than 100 percent. They missed out on Joe Burrow twice. They only played Lamar Jackson once, and when they did, his receivers dropped everything in and out of sight. They made Bailey Zappe think he was actually good for about half an hour.
Make no mistake, they did a lot of good last year. The problem is that they didn’t do anything consistently. Yes, they had a tumultuous year in terms of personnel, but the way that they performed on third downs was inexcusable. Especially 3rd and long. They couldn’t get off the field, which is why they allowed 5.8 plays and 30.5 yards per drive. Their lone saving grace was their splash play production and a 46-percent red-zone defense. They can do better. A fresh set of eyes could be a good thing.
Sell:
What I always go back to first and foremost in judging defenses is how they fared in scoring situations and overall. The Steelers had a top-10 scoring defense even when you factor out non-offensive touchdowns other teams allowed. They allowed the eighth-fewest points per drive even though they gave up more yards per drive than most.
And lest we forget, Austin had about 20 seconds’ worth of a healthy defense. Cameron Heyward went down in the opener and Minkah Fitzpatrick went down when he came back. Then you had the attrition at inside linebacker and safety. He was working with Mykal Walker, Trenton Thompson, Myles Jack, and Eric Rowe. That’s got to count for something.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and the draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
