Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp Preview : Linebackers

 From the trio of Russell/Ham/Lambert, to Mike Merriweather,  Kevin Greene/ Greg LLoyd to James Harrison, the Pittsburgh Steelers boast some of the games greatest linebackers.

Over the last few years, the level of play among the linebacking unit has been inconsistent. Jarvis Jones was a complete bust. Bud Dupree has been a major disappointment. That’s two first-round picks over the last five years that have been wasted on replenishing this group. TJ Watt, the 2017 first rounder had a solid rookie season and might buck the trend of poor first round OLB choices.

Both inside backer Vince Williams and Watt were second and third on the team in sacks with eight and seven, respectively.  The team did surprisingly pick up the fifth year option on Dupree, who has 14.5 career sacks.

Jon Bostic, a second-tier free agent, is on his fifth team in six years. He’s spent two stints on IR, once with the Lions and once with the Colts. Traded twice in those six years, it is hoped be becomes a low buy, high reward player.

Ryan Shazier, who has made remarkable progress on his road to recovery probably will never play again. This prompted the signing of Bostic who will compete with Tyler Matakevich for Shazier’s vacated spot. Coming out of college, Shazier’s slight frame worried me, but he turned into one of the game’s top young linebackers.

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Seeing Shazier take the field again, would be an inspiration no doubt. However, one wrong hit and it could do permanent damage. While I have become a Shazier fan, I’d rather not see him risk it.  Instead, just to see him walk normal again would be reward enough.

To compensate for the lack of a truly impactful OLB, I’ve been asking ‘what if’ the Steelers moved back to the 4-3. Cameron Heyward, Javon Hargrave, and Stephon Tuitt comprise one of the NFL’s best lines. Adding a fourth (LT Walton, Tyson Alualu or putting Watt at end) would be an easy transition. Williams could stay on the inside. Matakevich/ Bostic/ Dupree would compete for the two outside spots. Food for thought.

During the 2018 draft, armed with two third round picks as well as their first, Pittsburgh could’ve moved up to take Boise State’s Leighton VanDer Esch. Both he and Alabama’s Rashaan Evans were popular Steeler targets in many mock drafts. Iowa’s Josey Jewell, another name linked to the team in late round mocks also went ignored by Kevin Colbert who didn’t draft a single player at the position.

First rounder Terrell Edmunds, a safety was drafted with the idea of playing him some up near the line as another ‘backer. Hmmmm.

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If the team were to open the season today, the projected lineup would be:

Dupree, Bostic, Williams, Watt.

I’m only confident in half of that group. Bostic can’t stay healthy and Dupree hasn’t lived up to his first round billing. Williams, played in all sixteen games for the first time and led the team in tackles and has a career total of 278 combined. He’s become the bonafide leader of the group. Adding eight sacks only enhanced his value. Watt added forty combined tackles to cap a great rookie year.

The rest: Keion Adams Ola Adeniyi, Anthony Chickillo, LJ Fort, Matt Galambos, Farrington Huguenin, Keith Kelsay,  Tyler Matakevich, Matthew Thomas.

Aside from solidifying the starting group, depth is another critical issue. Quite frankly, the depth is shaky. Matakevich has been a solid special teamer and has played well in spots. He fits the mold of classic Steeler backers :tough, feisty and fundamentally sound. Anthony Chickillo, a fourth-year player from Miami also looks the part and has been solid off the bench. Chickillo has supplied five and a half sacks as a reserve and with fifty-four career tackles, shows a nose for the ball. It’d be interesting to see the coaches give him a shot at sub planting Dupree opposite Watt.

Galambos, Hugenin and Kelsay are a trio of first year players who spent time with the team last pre season. Galambos, a local product from Pitt University, showed some on special teams last year, but not enough to stick. Huguenin and Kelsay both sit at fifth on the depth chart at outside and inside, respectively. Both are longshots to make it.

Adams and Fort are players with decent size and potential. Adams, an All-MAC selection while at Western Michigan had 32 tackles for loss and 14.5 career sacks. He spent 2017 on IR and is making the transition from college end to OLB. If he can stay healthy and continue to transition, he could factor into a reserve role. At worst, he is a practice squad candidate.

Fort, from Northern Iowa, had a sack and eleven tackles as a reserve in 2017.  The shorter of the pair, he has the benefit of three years in the system, which could give him an edge.

Matthew Thomas, an undrafted rookie from Florida State offers the most intrigue. Some see him as one of the few UFA with a chance to make the club based upon his athleticism. However, Thomas went undrafted due to a number of red flags. Suspended for half of 2014 and all of 2015, he struggled with injuries during his time in Tallahassee.

Thomas, when focused and healthy did show a knack for making plays as evidence of his ten tackles for loss and three career sacks. He made eighty-five tackles in his senior year.

For more on the troubles of Thomas, check this story from the Tallahassee Democrat and USA Today.

Final Analysis:

Many ‘ifs’ with this group.’ If’ Dupree can finally play to his first round status, ‘if’ Bostic can stay healthy, this could be a solid group. The team needs to see ‘if’ they can find four quality backups.

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The Steelers figure to carry eight linebackers. My projected eight:

Watt, Dupree, Bostic,Williams, Matakevich, Chickillo, Fort, Adams. Thomas to the practice squad.