The Pittsburgh Steelers enter their game against the Indianapolis Colts with one clear goal: stop the run. Indianapolis seems to win whenever Jonathan Taylor dominates, so winning in the trenches on defense seems like an early priority.
Unfortunately, the Steelers also enter this game without Derrick Harmon, as he was placed on injured reserve this week due to a foot injury suffered against the Browns.
With his injury, about 40-50 percent of the defensive line snaps are now open. While the majority of those opportunities will be split among the four top names on the depth chart, it does open the door for one of the rookies to finally get a look.
Pittsburgh drafted Gabriel Rubio in the sixth round and signed Kevin Jobity as an undrafted rookie. Both shined at times during the offseason, and both offer very different strengths in their game.
Given the fact that at least one of them will dress for the first time this week, the Steelers have quite a difficult decision to make.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a tough decision to make between Gabriel Rubio and Kevin Jobity
It is a tale of two players in Rubio and Jobity.
Rubio has the edge as a draft pick. It feels like he was running ahead of Jobity all of camp, and his play on the field was impressive. As a run defender, there is a lot to like about Rubio’s game.
He can use his power to beat individual blockers. He anchors well and can also absorb double teams. For a young player, you could make the case that he is one of the best run defenders on this defense.
His pass rush is nonexistent. He wasn’t a threat there at Notre Dame, and he failed to show much progress during camp.
Jobity is the smaller player, but he has more finesse and a better pass-rushing toolkit. He also has a much higher ceiling given his traits and newness to the game of football.
Given the need to stop the run, Rubio makes sense on paper. However, this defensive line is filled with stout run defenders. Right now, Keeanu Benton is the only good pass rusher on the line.
That could make Jobity the more intriguing fit this week. To this point, Harmon is the only defensive lineman on the Steelers who has recorded a sack. Jobity could add some juice there.
Of course, the Steelers could dress both this week and use them interchangeably. As a fan, I’d love to see both get some action to see what they can offer this defense.
Given the issues elsewhere on defense, it seems like a two-dogs, one-bone situation for the rookies. For the Steelers, there are a lot of long-term implications from this decision, and it could prove to be a vital choice for the team.
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