The Pittsburgh Steelers added safety DeShon Elliott this offseason to potentially be a long-term partner to Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Elliott is already impressed with what he’s seen out of Pittsburgh’s defense in his short time with the team. Speaking to reporters after OTAs last week, Elliott said he believes that Pittsburgh’s defensive line is the best in the NFL.
“We have the best defensive line in the NFL. I’ve never been able to be on a defense where I can cover for two seconds and they already be in the backfield,” Elliott said via Post-Gazette Sports on YouTube.
Pittsburgh has two of the best pass rushers in the league at the outside linebacker position in T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, and if the coverage holds up for a few seconds, there’s a good chance that one of the two of them can affect the play. On the defensive line itself, Cameron Heyward’s bull rush is an asset, and with him fully healthy this season, he might get back to being a dominant force in the middle of the defense.
While Elliott spent time with the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins, who all had solid defenses during Elliott’s tenure, he’s never played with a truly elite pass rusher like Watt. Elliott is quickly learning that if he does his job in coverage, the Steelers’ pass rush is going to do their job and get home to affect the quarterback.
With Terrell Edmunds leaving Pittsburgh before last season, the team wasn’t happy with their safety play, and while injuries played a part, bringing in Elliott should hopefully solidify the position next to Fitzpatrick. Damontae Kazee is still in the mix as a depth option and someone who will see snaps, but Elliott’s play is going to be vital to Pittsburgh’s secondary and how they perform.
If the Steelers are going to make the playoffs this season, their secondary is going to have to step up. While Fitzpatrick is one of the best safeties in football, the pieces around him must make their mark, too. As Elliott has already seen, the secondary just has to do its job for a little bit while the defensive line and pass rush does their thing and gets to the quarterback.
While the names in Pittsburgh’s secondary outside of Fitzpatrick and Joey Porter Jr. might not be exciting, someone like Elliott can really step up and be a difference-maker for this team. I’m excited to watch him work next to Fitzpatrick.
