Tre Norwood has earned more playing time on Steelers defense

The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering their Week 7 bye. Here’s why rookie defensive back Tre Norwood has earned more playing time moving forward.

Going into the 2021 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers needed to get big performances out of their rookie class with so much at stake this year. However, little did we expect that one of the best performances would come from 7th round defensive back, Tre Norwood.

Currently playing a part-time role in Pittsburgh’s secondary, Norwood has been remarkable in the early going and is coming off his best game of the season. Against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football, Norwood was one of the most impressive performers of the night after coming away with three solo third-down stops.

While not a spectacular athlete, Norwood has impressive instincts and a knack for football that is behind his years. This was on display during his first preseason.

Through six games in 2021, Norwood has been targeted 17 times but has allowed just 5.2 yards per target and hasn’t allowed a touchdown while surrendering just an 82.7 passer rating, according to Pro Football Reference. Norwood has been even better on money downs this year.

Norwood has earned more playing time on Steelers defense

While Keith Butler doesn’t want to load too much onto his plate all at once, Tre Norwood needs to start seeing more playing time on Pittsburgh’s defense. It’s safe to say that he’s earned it.

Though he plays a hybrid safety role as an extra defensive back, Norwood has experience at both cornerback and safety during his time with Oklahoma — a skill that has no doubt translated to the NFL.

Norwood is a willing tackler who can come up and support the run, but he’s best in coverage. The young defensive back had 5 interceptions in 10 games as a junior last year before declaring for the NFL Draft, and it’s only a matter of time before Norwood gets his hands on a few balls in the secondary.

Entering the bye week, Norwood has played a respectable 45 percent of defensive snaps for the Steelers (179 snaps), but that’s a number we could even see rise as the versatile rookie continues to learn and grow.

Against the Seahawks, Norwood looked like a top-three player on Pittsburgh’s defense, which is not always easy to do. His skill set is perfect for the dime backer role the Steelers have been looking to fill this year.

It’s still too early to tell how valuable Tre Norwood will be to the Steelers in the future, but he has shown plenty to warrant more playing time following the bye week. He has already outperformed all early expectations in his rookie season and Pittsburgh hopes he can have an even greater impact on this team down the stretch.