4 Steelers with notable snap counts in loss vs Raiders

Steelers DB Tre Norwood

When the Steelers drafted Tre Norwood in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft, I don’t think there’s a soul out there who could have predicted him playing as much as he has early in the 2021 season. Through his first two games in the NFL, the late-round pick and former Oklahoma defensive back has not only earned a helmet but has also been given a whopping 118 snaps in his first two games.

Norwood’s snaps actually dipped a bit in Week 2 as he earned 50 total defensive looks against the Raiders. Still, this is impressive considering his age and draft status. But is it warranted?

The Steelers may have found themselves in a situation where they have to play Tre Norwood simply because they don’t have a better option available. While he had his bright spots at training camp and the preseason, he hasn’t done much with his opportunities so far in the regular season and he has earned one of the lowest defensive grades so far on the team, via Pro Football Focus.

Norwood is young and has time to turn things around, but what we’ve seen from him hasn’t been promising so far. He will need to step up his game moving forward if he wants to keep his sizable role on defense.

There are other interesting snap counts to note, but these four are certainly intriguing. It will be interesting to monitor their usage moving forward as they could play big roles for the Steelers this year.