5 early Pittsburgh Steelers defensive training camp positional battles in 2020
By Tommy Jaggi
LB: Vince Williams vs. Ulysees Gilbert
This one is a little like comparing apples to oranges, as Vince Williams and Ulysees Gilbert will have different roles for the team. As long as Devin Bush is healthy, it’s unlikely that Williams and Gilbert will ever be on the field at the same time.
However, Gilbert could certainly end up cutting into Williams’ snaps if he does well in camp. Though Williams is a stout run defender and solid blitzer, the 30-year-old linebacker is limited to playing in Pittsburgh’s base defense and he immediately becomes a liability in coverage.
Gilbert is the opposite. Though his frame suggests that he may struggle against the run at times, Gilbert was phenomenal in coverage during his first NFL preseason last year. He will likely be asked to take on a bulk of Mark Barron’s old role as a subpackage linebacker.
If Gilbert outperforms expectations, he could drastically cut into Williams’ snaps on defense. If he doesn’t, however, it could be Williams who sees a bulk of the defensive snaps in 2020.