The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of snaps to replace after Mark Barron was cut from the team. Here’s why their answer may not be a linebacker at all.
Despite losing nose tackle Javon Hargrave this offseason, the Steelers defense stands to be one of the best units in the league again in 2020. All of their stars are returning while T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick took an obvious leap forward last year. In addition, the return of Stephon Tuitt should more than mask the departure of Hargrave this offseason.
One player we haven’t talked about replacing enough has been 2019 Steelers linebacker, Mark Barron. Though it was Pittsburgh’s decision to part ways with Barron due to the $8.1 million he was set to receive this year, we still don’t have an answer as to how they are going to do this.
Clearly, Vince Williams is only a part-time player at this point in his career. Despite playing 14 games in 2019, Williams was credited with just 8 starts and was on the field for only 37 percent of the team’s total defensive snaps. On the contrary, Barron’s 750 defensive snaps last year were good for 69 percent of the team’s total snaps on defense, according to Pro Football Reference.
Steelers replacement for Barron may not be a linebacker
Many speculate that second-year linebacker, Ulysees Gilbert will be the guy that steps into Barron’s role this year as the sub-package linebacker, but that may not be the case. Gilbert dressed for just 7 games last year, thanks to an injury, and saw zero defensive snaps on the season. This is a year-two leap we couldn’t possibly expect from a player with no defensive experience in the NFL who was just a sixth-round draft choice last year.
Behind Gilbert on the bench is Robert Spillane – a third-year player who has never logged an NFL defensive snap in the regular season. Remarkably, Pittsburgh did nothing in the way of replacing the departed Mark Barron and Tyler Matakevich on defense this offseason. Do they already have an answer?
Because of the sheer lack of experience at backup inside linebacker, perhaps the answer on who’s going to fill Mark Barron’s shoes this year is not a linebacker at all.
The Steelers have been running more sub-package formations in recent years, and Pittsburgh could look to get more speed and coverage ability on the field. In nickel, Mike Hilton already comes onto the field, typically in place of Pittsburgh’s nose tackle. In dime packages, the Steelers will have just one inside linebacker on the field (Devin Bush) and add another defensive back.
Depending on what the offense is doing and how Pittsburgh would like to counter, this could be several players. For coverage purposes, defensive back Cameron Sutton is likely their best option to fill this role. However, if the team still has the threat of a run, someone like safety Jordan Dangerfield may be better suited in the box.
From what we’ve seen of Ulysees Gilbert in his first NFL preseason last year, he looked very promising. However, expecting him to take over Mark Barron’s 750 snaps this season is unreasonable. Maybe the Steelers answer for Barron in 2020 isn’t a linebacker at all.