With the Steelers barely staying afloat at 1-3, these three players need to see more time on the bench moving forward.
The Steelers as a whole are looking for answers after a bitterly disappointing 1-3 record. This defense has taken a step back and the offense has looked worse than it did to end last year. While the season is still young, the team is in desperate need of a facelift. Here are three Steelers that should see more time on the bench going forward.
Steelers Terrell Edmunds
Terrell Edmunds has quietly developed into a serviceable starter. No, he isn’t elite by any means, and his merits as a first-round pick are questionable at best, but he can be relied on to be an average box safety. This was apparent in week four, as he was soundly beaten by an elderly Randell Cobb for a touchdown, an indication of his struggles still in coverage.
While Edmunds shouldn’t be completely benched (he isn’t that bad), there is a chance he could face a reduced role. Karl Joseph is still on the practice squad, and the veteran offers more range as a strong safety. While a little less physical, he is better overall in coverage and could help patch up some of the Steelers’ current issues with stopping the pass.
Is he a notable upgrade over Edmunds? No, but Joseph would allow Edmunds to play closer to the line of scrimmage more often, which should play into his overall strengths. Adding Joseph to the roster and getting more creative with the three safeties (similar to how the team has used their edge rushers) could give this defense a new element that has to be planned for. At the very least, it would aid in improving this coverage unit.
Steelers Isaiah Buggs
While no singular defensive lineman was going to be able to replace the talent of Tyson Alualu, Isaiah Buggs has been a clear step down that has hurt this run defense. Since he has become the starting nose tackle, the team has been regularly gashed by opposing running games. This has opened up the passing game and made the defense a worse overall unit.
Buggs hasn’t been a horrible player, but his run defense has been lacking. He has easily been outplayed by fellow backup Chris Wormley, who has stepped in admirably for Stephon Tuitt, and it could be argued that fellow reserve lineman Henry Mondeaux and Isaiahh Loudermilk have been as good as Buggs. Again, he hasn’t been abysmal, but his drop-off in play has been noticeable.
In all honesty, Carlos Davis needs to get healthy in order to compete for the starting nose tackle job right now. He has flashed far more than Buggs has, and he is a more natural fit for the job than Buggs. Until he heals up, perhaps mixing Cameron Heyward in as an untraditional nose tackle could benefit this defense. No matter who it is, the defense could use a little less Buggs moving forward.
Steelers Eric Ebron
While the first two names are ones that would be better served in a reduced role, one really has to question if the Steelers would be better off just moving on from Eric Ebron. He is offering the team essentially nothing right now. As a receiver, he has only caught three passes for a grotesque 27 yards. He contributes literally nothing as a blocker either, and in all honesty, he does more to harm the running game than help it.
With Pat Freiermuth quickly ascending as a quality NFL starter, Ebron’s role on the offense should be shrinking, not growing. He hasn’t been a great fit in this admittedly bad offense, and with the team hoping to establish more of a physical, rushing-based offense, he doesn’t fit the mold of what is needed at tight end right now. There is little compelling reason that he should still be on the roster right now.
Moving forward, the fewer snaps he lays the better. Unless to team plans on utilizing him as more of a receiving threat on deeper passes (not at all likely given their tendencies to focus on the short passing game) then he needs to be more on the bench. He isn’t doing anything to help this team right now. They would be better off moving on with some new faces at tight end over Ebron.
With the Steelers struggling to start their season, changes have to be made to try and get the team back on the right track. Infusing some new faces could be just what is needed to jumpstart this team. These three players all could use some more time on the bench as there are better options that should be playing ahead of them.