With the Steelers losing their starting nose tackle against the Raiders, here are six free-agent defensive tackles the Steelers need to bring in to replace him.
The Steelers suffered a major loss along their defensive line in week two when Tyson Alualu injured his ankle and is now reportedly out for the season. In what can only be described as a career resurgence, Alualu has made a successful transition from defensive end to nose tackle in the Steelers scheme.
Last season, he was bullying opposing linemen and was a critical re-signing during the offseason. While nose tackle isn’t the most valuable position anymore, Alualu was an impact player, and he needs to be replaced. Here are six veterans the Steelers should sign to replace Alualu:
Steelers should sign Williams
Now, the Steelers do have two intriguing backups on their roster in Isaiah Buggs and Carlos Davis. Both will likely get some time in place of Alualu. As well, both are young and unproven, so adding a veteran that can take some pressure off of them would help. A low-level option like Xavier Williams would make a lot of sense for them.
The former undrafted player has never developed into a full-time starter, but he has been a great rotational piece along a defensive line. He doesn’t offer much as a pass rusher, as he only has four career sacks, but he can hold down the middle and open lanes for others to get after the quarterback.
Williams is still under 30 as well. He wouldn’t be a flashy addition by any means, but landing an experienced backup like Williams would give this team some more options to replace Alualu going forward.
Steelers should sign Harrison
When looking at his play and his role on teams over the course of his career, there have been few players that have so closely resembled Casey Hampton than Damon Harrison. Also known as “Snacks”, he is a prototypical nose tackle. Big, stout, and hard to move, Harrison offers little in terms of pass rush, but he can occupy the middle of the field and collapse a pocket. His personal numbers aren’t that impressive, but his play on the field in run defense has been great.
Harrison is on the backend of his career though, as he will be 33 in about two months and struggled to stick with a team in 2020. He still remains a free agent with no home, but the Steelers could change that.
While he wouldn’t be able to play the snap count that Alualu was playing (he would, at best, be able to play half of that), he could still chip in on run downs and keep some of the pressure off of the younger nose tackle options.
Harrison would be extremely cheap right now as well, further adding to the cause of the team signing him. Even if they were skeptical of how he could play from right now, he could be a practice squad addition. This was how he initially made the Seahawks last season before he was elevated to play. In a limited role, and only on running downs, Harrison would make a lot of sense as a potential addition to the team.
Steelers should sign Allen
A name that didn’t get to play last year due to injury, Beau Allen could have a chance to re-establish himself with the Steelers this season. Allen was a longtime Eagle who eventually signed with the Buccaneers and later the Patriots.
Allen was set to be the Patriots starting nose tackle last year, but an early injury kept him off the field. He was designated to return but had another injury in his first practice that ended his season for good.
Allen was subsequently released in 2021 and has yet to find a home. This shouldn’t deter the Steelers from him though, as Allen was a premiere run stopper in his prime and could still serve in that role in 2021. He will only be 30 this year and given the limited number of snaps he has played due to his position, there should be some tread left on him to work with.
Given how he didn’t play in 2020, Allen would make sense as a practice squad addition before being brought up to the roster. Once in shape and ready to play on the defense, he could enter the defensive line rotation. He would serve a similar role as Williams. The only difference is, Allen has proven to be a more talented and consistent player during his time in the league and would be a better fit for the team.
Steelers should sign Short
If the Steelers wanted to add a veteran that could get after the quarterback, veteran Kawann Short would be the best fit for the team. The former Panther has seen his past two seasons been ravaged with injury, and he now finds himself as a free agent looking for a home. While he isn’t a traditional fit for the team, his ability to get after the quarterback is unmatched and would make this line rotation that much more potent.
Now, Short would likely be a hybrid nose tackle given his previous roles and most natural fit along this line. He has defensive end flexibility while the size to play the inside, similar to how Alualu was when he made the switch. The main difference is that Short is a far worse run defender than Alualu, which makes him a very untraditional nose tackle option.
With both Davis and Buggs being more stereotypical nose tackle options though, Short could still have a rotational role at nose tackle. Trying to block a line that has Short, Cameron Heyward, and Stephon Tuitt is a daunting task for any offensive line, and it would likely wreak havoc if they all got on the same page. While his run defense would be on the weaker end, Short would make the Steelers pass rush even better if he were to be signed.
Steelers should sign Atkins
A name all Steelers fans should recognize, Geno Atkins is a similar player in the ‘Kawann Short’ mold: an untraditional nose tackle that can get after the quarterback but may struggle to stop the run at this point. He was one of the leagues best up until last year, where injuries held him to a mere 119 total defensive snaps. The Bengals cut him, as a result, this offseason.
While he is the oldest player of the group, he has had the most success out of anyone on the list. As well, despite being a great pass-rusher, Atkins can also hold his own in the running game. This makes him a more flexible defender and a better all-around replacement for Alualu. To be frank, he is a more complete defender than Short at this point, which is why he is higher up the list than Short was.
While Atkins is undersized, he can also chip in at defensive end if the team needed him. If the team wanted the most one-for-one replacement for Alualu in terms of veteran leadership and all-around play, Atkins is the guy. While the Steelers would likely still have to mix in their younger guys in order to get better run defense, Atkins could take on the role of pass-rushing nose tackle. Again, having a line of him, Tuitt, and Heyward would be unfair for opposing offenses.
Steelers should sign Dunn
If the Steelers want to find a throwback replacement for Alualu at nose tackle, look no farther than Brandon Dunn. The former Texan and Bear offers you almost nothing in terms of pass rush, but he can take up space in the middle of a defense and collapse the interior of the pocket. He holds his own against the run and can regularly take up two blockers on any given play. On the downside, he only has one career sack, so his role would be limited to a two-down run defender only.
That said, it is a role the team could certainly fill given their defensive needs right now. While he would provide the flexibility of Alualu, he could at least help alleviate the loss of him on running downs. A player like Davis could see some time in potential pass-rushing sets to supplement Dunn. What Dunn provides though is a plug-and-play nose tackle that the team could start as soon as he gets a grasp of the playbook.
Give the fact that he just turned 29, Dunn could be a solution at nose tackle beyond just this year. While Alualu has been almost elite since making the switch to nose tackle, he is likely set to retire either this year or next. Dunn could help transition the Steelers to their next nose tackle in the meantime. No, he isn’t an elite pass-rushing threat or a flashy name, but Dunn holds his own against the run and would fill a big need with Alualu now injured.
While not a typical starter that plays 80 percent or more of the defensive snaps, Alualu’s loss will be felt by the Steelers. While they have some in-house options to replace him, the team may need to seek a free agent to help fill that void. Keep these six names in mind as the team hopes to replace Alualu in the coming weeks.