A year ago, choosing between the Pittsburgh Steelers’ secondary and front seven was easy — the big guys up front won in a landslide. This year, it’s not so clear, but only because the secondary has emerged as one of the league’s best. Former NFL scout Bucky Brooks ranked his top three in each category, and while the front seven missed the cut, the secondary made it.
Here is what Brooks wrote about the Steelers having the third best secondary in the league.
“The arrivals of Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay — who bring a combined 13 Pro Bowls to Pittsburgh — upgrade a secondary with an emerging CB1 in Joey Porter Jr,” Brooks wrote via NFL.com. “The third-year pro can take on opponents’ No. 1 receivers at times, but Ramsey and Slay provide head coach Mike Tomlin with multiple options when playing the matchup game against high-powered offenses.”
Tomlin has made his expectations for this group clear. He believes the defense can do “historic” things, and a big part of that is believing the secondary can match up in man coverage against anybody in the league. Having Slay as the third-best corner on the team is a great position to be in, and they have rotational players like Brandin Echols who will be a part of that matchup game as well.
Porter was looking like one of the best man-to-man lockdown corners in the league as a rookie two years ago, and now he will be up against lesser talents while Ramsey handles the top matchup.
Beyond the collection of talent, they believe Ramsey can be a chess piece to help confuse opposing quarterbacks and offensive coordinators. They can deploy him in a number of ways where it’s difficult to avoid him entirely. Don’t be surprised to see offenses waiting until the last second on the play clock to snap a lot this year as they figure things out before the snap.
“The Steelers’ defensive backfield can muddy the picture for quarterbacks unable to decipher the unit’s pre-snap disguises and designated matchups,” Brooks wrote. “The secondary’s experience, expertise and execution could overwhelm opponents unable to handle a defense that plays an old-school brand of football built on physicality and toughness.”
Brooks snubbed the Steelers’ defensive front in favor of the Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants. But they absolutely stand to benefit from the improved secondary. If teams are waiting until the last second to snap the football, pass rushers like T.J. Watt will feast on timing the snap. And better coverage will lead to an extra half second for the pass rush to get home.
Pro Football Focus had the Steelers’ defensive line as the top-ranked unit in the league last year. They didn’t lose any talent and only got better with high draft picks and free agent depth signings.
It’s hard not to get carried away thinking about the potential of this defense.
