Could the Steelers have the NFL’s best defense in 2020?

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense was phenomenal in 2019. Without losing much this offseason, could they be the best unit in football this year?

Things didn’t go exactly as planned for the Steelers in 2019. After losing their star quarterback back in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh was forced to turn to Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges for help for the remainder of the year.

Unfortunately, both players proved to be well below replacement level, and as a result, the Steelers missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

However, not everything was bad for Pittsburgh in 2019. Despite finishing as the 30th ranked offense in the league, the Steelers improved by leaps and bounds on the defensive side of the ball.

Last year, Keith Butler’s unit finished 5th in yards allowed, 6th in points allowed, 1st in takeaways, and tied for 1st in yards allowed per play. In addition, Pittsburgh had three first-team All-Pro players in addition to two Defensive Player of the Year Candidates in T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick.

While it’s unreasonable to think that they could replicate the 38 takeaways they created in 2019, it’s possible that the Steelers could own the NFL’s best defense in 2020. There are several reasons to believe that this is well within reach.

Reasons Steelers could have the best Defense:

For starters, the Steelers only lost Javon Hargrave and Mark Barron on defense this offseason. Hargrave was a solid player that I’m sure Pittsburgh would have loved to have kept, but his hefty price tag was way too rich for a part-time player (which is what he has always been for the Steelers). Barron was simply an easy cut for the Steelers, as he wasn’t as close to as good as the $8.1 million he was set to make in 2020.

On the flip side, Stephon Tuitt’s return to the football field should more than makeup for the loss of Hargrave this offseason. While the Steelers have a few players reaching their 30s in Joe Haden, Vince Williams, and Cameron Heyward, there are many more who should be on the rise.

Devin Bush had an up and down rookie season, but he produced well and flashed often. Still just 21 years old, there’s no reason to believe he can’t take a big leap forward in 2020. In addition, players like Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds are still very young, while T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree are coming off their best seasons in the NFL.

Only one team can earn the mark of the best defense in the league, but there’s no reason to think this unit will get worse in 2020. The Steelers have an immensely talented core of defenders led by Watt and Fitzpatrick. If a few other young players could make improvements, the sky is the limit for Pittsburgh’s defense this year.