The Steelers have a great defense, but there are some question marks at linebacker. Here are three linebackers they should trade for before the start of the season.
The Steelers defense finished as one of the top units in the league in 2019. T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward constantly got after the quarterback, while Minkah Fitzpatrick and Joe Haden combined for more than a dozen takeaways in the secondary.
However, despite their success in these units, Pittsburgh’s weakness came right over the middle. The linebacker position was a bit of a letdown for the Steelers last year. Though Devin Bush showed a lot of promise, he struggled early on as a rookie in zone coverage.
Vince Williams isn’t the same player he was a few seasons ago. Now a true first-down thumper, Williams played just 37 percent of defensive snaps for Pittsburgh last season and was forced off the field in passing situations.
Mark Barron played a big role as Pittsburgh’s nickel linebacker in 2019, but with him gone, Ulysees Gilbert is expected to take a large number of snaps in his second season.
A lot is riding on this year for the Steelers and it could be the last of their rapidly closing Super Bowl window. Trading for a linebacker now could be the push they need to get over the hump. Here are three linebackers Pittsburgh should look to trade for before the start of the 2020 season:
Kevin Pierre-Louis, Redskins
Kevin Pierre-Louis is a player who didn’t get a lot of recognition last year being on one of the worst teams in football. However, the Redskins linebacker could be worth a look. Though he didn’t qualify for a ranking based on a limited number of snaps, Pierre-Louis earned an overall grade of 90.5 last year, according to Pro Football Focus.
Late in the season, Pierre-Louis developed a much larger role-playing 184 snaps from Week 14 on. Though he was just average as a run defender (61.9 grade), his pass rush (86.1) and coverage grades (91.0) make him an ideal candidate to replace Mark Barron as a sub-package linebacker.
Pierre-Louis is playing on just a one-year, $2.9 million deal, so the price is reasonable. At this stage, Washington would rather have some mid-to-late round draft capital as they look to rebuild their team.
Shaun Dion Hamilton, Redskins
Here’s another Redskins linebacker who excels in coverage. Though he didn’t start a game in 16 healthy contests for Washington last year, Shaun Dion Hamilton still played a large number of snaps (387) and was terrific in pass coverage.
Hamilton earned a coverage grade of 89.7 last year and his overall grade of 74.9 was good for 13th among all NFL linebackers last season.
For the Steelers, Hamilton would slide into Barron’s old role as the nickel linebacker. Though he’s not great against the run, he could prove to be effective in passing situations. Hamilton has two cheap years remaining on his contract, and it would likely cost Pittsburgh a mid-round draft choice to secure his services.
Jordan Evans, Bengals
Even with the acquisition of Joe Burrow in the NFL draft this year, the Bengals know they won’t be legitimate contenders in 2020. Though their linebackers as a whole were embarrassing in 2019, Jordan Evans is a player worth taking a look at.
Evans played sparingly for Cincinnati (just 76 snaps), but he churned out a solid coverage grade of 80.0. For the Steelers, Evans would compete with Ulysees Gilbert for a nickel linebacker role when Vince Williams comes off the field on passing situations.
Evans is still just 25 years old but is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He would come cheap at just a 6th or 7th round draft choice – possibly even a pick swap with the Bengals.
There is a lot of uncertainty about Gilbert as stepping into a large role this season. Adding one of these young cover linebackers would give the Steelers some much-needed security in the middle of the field.