Inside Linebacker
The most disappointing position for the Steelers this year has been inside linebacker. While the play along the offensive line has been worse, the expectations for that group was far lower than the expectations for the team’s inside linebacker unit.
With former first-round selection, Devin Bush returning from a torn-ACL, and the team acquiring former Pro Bowl linebacker Joe Schobert in a Preseason trade, the team looked poised to have one of the best inside linebacker units in football. However, Bush has not looked like the same dynamic player that he was prior to the injury, and Schobert has not returned to the Pro Bowl form he played at only a couple of years ago.
How quickly things change, as it appears to be a no-brainer that the team declines Bush’s fifth-year option this offseason, which would likely make next season his last with the team. As for Schobert, his hefty salary makes him a very likely cap casualty who can be released prior to next season if he doesn’t step up his play. Those two scenarios make the inside linebacker a position the team has to address this offseason.
In the modern NFL, this position is so integral to a defense, as the team needs someone in the middle of the field to be able to cover running backs and tight ends while also being able to stop the run. The team did select Buddy Johnson in the draft this year, but he profiles as more of a run stopper, and the team could use an athletic linebacker who is good in coverage, as it is something the team has sorely missed this season.