With the purge of players off the Steelers roster, the team will need to rely on some unproven in-house options to serve as replacements.
The Steelers lost a slew of starters so far this offseason, and while the team will certainly turn to the draft in hopes of finding replacements, they will also have to rely on some of their current rostered players to step up. This team will be filled with new starters next season, and many of those new faces will be getting some of their first starts in their career. Here are the five Steelers that will need to step up and take on bigger roles next season.
Robert Spillane
One of the more pleasant surprises for the Steelers in 2020 was the emergence of Robert Spillane on defense. The former undrafted rookie had carved out a role on special teams, but he showed solid athleticism and play processing when he stepped in for the injured Devin Bush. With the release of Vince Williams, the other starting inside linebacker job is Spillane’s to lose.
To be fair, Spillane did play over a third of the snaps for the defense in 2020 in his new role, meaning that he is already used to seeing extensive playing time. That said, given his new role, his playing time should rival Williams (in the 65-75 percent of the defensive snaps). That is quite the jump for any young player. Add in the lack of options behind Spillane right now and his role becomes that much more critical. Spillane still has a lot of questions to answer, and his new role in 2021 will likely lead to him either sinking or swimming.
James Pierre
Spillane at least saw some considerable action this past season, meaning his transition may not be as tough as some. Compare that to James Pierre, who saw only 3 percent of the defensive snaps on the season and is currently slated to start and suddenly there are even more concerns. Pierre looked good in his limited sample size, holding his own against opposing receivers and being a decent tackler. That said, 2021 is shaping up to be a huge season for him.
With Steven Nelson no longer on the team, the Steelers are down an outside cornerback. With the resigning of Cameron Sutton, the Steelers will likely use him and veteran Joe Haden in base defense as both are the best options. The issue is in subpackage defense, where the Steelers have a slot corner. Sutton works well in the slot, meaning that, as of this writing, Pierre would likely be the next man up at outside corner. This should jump his playing time into the 60-70 percent assuming he starts the entire season.
While some will claim that this is Justin Layne’s spot for the tacking given his draft status, remember that Pierre began seeing defensive snaps over Layne towards the end of the season and the playoffs. Pierre seems to have jumped him on the depth chart. As well, the team will likely draft a corner early, but Pierre will likely still enter camp as the top option unless that rookie is taken in the first. Even then, cornerback usually needs at least half a season to get up to speed. All of this to say, Pierre is in a position to see starting snaps for the Steelers defense in 2021.
Kevin Dotson
This one is rather cut and dry. The Steelers let Matt Feiler enter free agency, meaning there is a hole at guard that should be filled comfortably by former fourth-round pick Kevin Dotson. There are questions about Dotson’s long-term playing ability, but out of the three options so far discussed, fans should be the most excited for Dotson. He was one of the best rookie offensive linemen despite only playing 33 percent of the offensive snaps and starting a mere 4 games.
This transition for him should have actually happened in the playoffs last year. He was playing extremely well in place of Feiler, but the Steelers opted to give Feiler his starting spot back after he returned from injury. While that move didn’t ultimately cost the team their playoff game (there were a plethora of other reasons for that), Dotson was the better performing player and should have been given the nod to start.
Even more exciting, Dotson was deemed one of the better pass-blocking linemen from last year’s rookie class. Considering most saw Dotson as a run-blocking mauler coming out of school, this is a huge jump for him. Expect him to start every game he is healthy for. Beyond that though, he may cement his name in the conversation as one of the best interior offensive linemen. He showed a lot of promise, now it is time to cement himself as a top lineman in the league.
Cameron Sutton
One of the best and most surprising players on the team’s defense last season, Sutton was a key starter at both slot and outside cornerback for the Steelers. He played the most defensive snaps that he has ever played, as he was on the field for just over half of all of the defensive snaps. With the cornerback room suddenly barren, that number is going to spike though, and it will likely approach 100 percent of the snaps when all said and done.
This should not be much of a concern though, as Sutton was arguably the best cover cornerback for the Steelers last season. As well, he was impactful in forcing turnovers, as he forced three fumbles as well as picked off a pass. Add in him only giving up a 60.7 percent completion percentage and a quarterback rating of 79.8 when being targeted and suddenly Sutton has the chance to really cement himself as a top cornerback this season.
The only concern here is that Sutton gets exposed with more of a sample size. That isn’t the most unlikely option, as despite looking good so far, he has never played more than 53 percent of the snaps on defense. That said, I think 2021 becomes more of a prove-it season for Sutton, and if he does, he may be getting another contract worth a lot more than the 4.5 million a year he had signed for. Sutton isn’t just going to increase his playing time; he is going to try and cement himself as an ascending cornerback in the NFL.
Alex Highsmith
There was quite a bit of excitement when the Steelers drafted Alex Highsmith last year. The small school pass rusher was a popular name, but most expected him to need some seasoning at the NFL level before becoming a true starter. He was noticed early and often though last season, serving as the top edge option off the bench after T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree. There was even a time when the team was utilizing him and the two starters by having three edge rushers on the field.
After Dupree was lost to the season with a knee injury, Highsmith pretty comfortably filled in. No, his two sacks weren’t elite numbers, but the amount of time he was getting in the quarterback’s face and applying pressure points toward better sack numbers in future years. Remember, he was only a rookie, and one of his biggest draws was his lack of strength. He did most of his damage through technique. Add in a full offseason of conditioning and strength training and Highsmith may breakout next year.
Add in the fact he will be playing across from one of the best overall edge players in the league in Watt and Highsmith should be set to have a great sophomore year. His playing numbers will spike as well (assuming he stays healthy) into the 85-95 percent range. A full offseason mixed in with starting out of the gate will give Highsmith the opportunity to put all of his talents on display. He is the next man up, and don’t be surprised when he is hearing his name talked about as one of the better edge players in 2021.
The Steelers lost quite a few starters this offseason, and as a result, the team will be forced to rely on some in-house options. While each of these players will have varying levels of success, it is almost guaranteed that each will see a jump in playing time.