5 rookies that the Steelers regret passing on in 2020 draft

Krys Barnes

The Steelers lost Devin Bush earlier this year to an ACL injury, and while Robert Spillane and Vince Williams have done their part in holding down the fort, more bodies could definitely be used to fill out the depth chart. The Packers seem to have struck free agent gold this offseason with inside linebacker Krys Barnes, as he has quickly ascended to a starting role with the team. He has performed well as a two-down backer to boot, compiling 50 total tackles and a sack.

Make no mistake, Barnes wouldn’t have been a plug and play replacement for Bush, as the two aren’t even close to the same athlete. Instead, Barnes could have been the long-term replacement for Williams, as the two play shockingly similar. Both play at identical sizes (6’1, 235lbs) and both have a hard-hitting style. While he would need a year or two to get seasoned, it wouldn’t be unthinkable that Barnes becomes a very similar player to Williams.

His biggest drawback, similar to Williams, is his coverage ability as he is allowing a quarterback rating of 130.8 when being targeted. That said, the Steelers have shown that they can get around this, particularly when you have a better coverage player (Bush) lining up next to a worse coverage player. As long as Barnes could progress as a pass rusher, he could serve the same role that Williams has for the past eight seasons.