What each Steelers rookie will struggle with during 2021

Steelers Buddy Johnson

Problem: Pass Coverage

To this point in the list, this is probably the easiest problem area to point out for a rookie. Buddy Johnson is a lot of things: he is athletic, reacts well, and can stop the run. The issue is that his coverage skills aren’t great for an athletic linebacker. While he will benefit from never having to be just a pure coverage linebacker, if he ever wants to start he will need to get better in this category.

The best thing for Johnson is that the Steelers already have Devin Bush to be their coverage linebacker. Because of this, Johnson will not be expected to be the best player in man or zone coverage when sharing the field with Bush. The team has seen Vince Williams excel in that role in recent seasons, as he can focus on stopping the run and disrupting offenses while Bush uses his athleticism to make plays in the passing game.

While coverage won’t have to be his calling card, being serviceable in that department could make him a more natural starter. The team appears to be ready to use a rotation at the second linebacker spot this year, as no option besides Bush screams top-end starter. If Johnson can develop in the passing game, he could take on the role full-time and the team would have to focus less on finding a capable rotation for the latter inside linebacker spot.