The Pittsburgh Steelers are known for their defense. And for the last five years, they’ve returned to their status as one of the NFL’s best. So it’s not a stretch to have high expectations for that unit in 2024, still expected to be better than their (hopefully) improved offense.
But even beyond reasonable expectations, the Steelers’ defense could have a big year. There’s plenty of reason for optimism.
Off the top, tip your hat to how well the defense played a year ago. Despite all their injuries and issues, the Steelers still finished sixth in scoring defense. They allowed just 19.1 points per game, their best showing since 2019. Only three opponents scored more than 35 points and nine of them were held under 20. While there were times the defense bent, its top-line metrics were very good and yet again the reason why Pittsburgh stayed in games.
Now consider who is returning and who has been added. Either players injured and missed large chunks of 2023 or newcomers acquired this offseason. The list of notable names.
– DT Cam Heyward
– FS Minkah Fitzpatrick
– LB Cole Holcomb (potentially, timetable to return still a bit unclear)
– LB Patrick Queen
– LB Payton Wilson
– CB Donte Jackson
– CB Cam Sutton (with a looming suspension)
– SS DeShon Elliott
Among a handful of others. Health is no guarantee for 2024, obviously, but this is unit, decimated by injuries a year ago, is now healthy and reloaded entering the new year. If the Steelers could be nearly a top-five unit on one leg a year ago, imagine their ceiling with this group.
It’s not like Pittsburgh and their defense lost much, either. The secondary was shaken up but there aren’t any irreplaceable pieces. Levi Wallace, Keanu Neal, Kwon Alexander off a torn Achilles, Armon Watts, Patrick Peterson, and a few more. Nothing that was a gut-punch, though there’s a debate about signing back Sutton instead of Peterson. On paper, this defense looks far better than a season ago.
Consider this. Pittsburgh recorded 27 takeaways a year ago, a top-10 number. They did it without Minkah Fitzpatrick responsible for one. He failed to record an interception, force a fumble, or recover one. Hamstring injuries caused him to miss half the year and was certainly one big factor why, but Pittsburgh still generated a boatload of turnovers without Fitzpatrick adding his normal slate of four to six.
Imagine that this defense stays largely healthy. Imagine Fitzpatrick, with the team committed to using him correctly, picking off four passes and forcing another fumble. That could put Pittsburgh in the 50-sack, 30 takeaway, top-five scoring range, elite numbers that would basically lock the Steelers into a playoff spot with just a competent offense.
Expectations should be high for this unit. There’s a mix of veteran leadership and talent (Heyward, Watt, Fitzpatrick), youth (Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton) with veteran free agent adds and draft picks.
What barriers are they facing? As things stand now, they won’t get the benefit of avoiding top AFC North names they didn’t see a year ago. Joe Burrow got hurt before playing Pittsburgh once. Nick Chubb went down one-half into the season series. Deshaun Watson missed the latter matchup while Lamar Jackson only played in the Week 5 game, he and key Ravens players resting for their meaningless season finale. But knowing how hurt Pittsburgh was by its own absences last year and its success against the division, chalk that up to a wash. Their overall schedule is also tough, another obstacle, but who knows how the season will actually unwind. Often, not as expected.
This Steelers’ defense won’t be 2005 or 2008 level. But could they be something similar to 2019, leading the league in takeaways and sacks while finishing fifth in points allowed? That’s reasonable. And that was a unit that had to play well because of how much the offense struggled without Ben Roethlisberger. They put the team on their back. While that can be used as jet fuel to button up, if the Steelers can have their defense play at that level with an offense that finished in the top 16 in scoring, it’ll create a recipe to make a playoff run.
