3 bizarre Steelers depth chart decisions fans can't make sense of

Just because we are fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers doesn't mean we have to agree with every decision Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff makes. Last year was a perfect example of why we shouldn't always say 'The coaching staff knows best'.

Up until the bye week in 2023, Joey Porter Jr. rotted on the bench while Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson were routinely torched in the passing game. Likewise, Keeanu Benton was clearly the best interior defensive lineman on the team not named Cam Heyward, but Larry Ogunjobi played nearly 300 more snaps. Even first-round pick Broderick Jones didn't see the field until Chukwuma Okorafor was benched for disciplinary reasons.

Ahead of the 2024 season, we are seeing more questionable decisions on the Steelers depth chart that are hard to make sense of.

Cory Trice Jr. playing with third-team defense in preseason opener

Despite being listed as the primary backup cornerback behind Joey Porter Jr. on the Steelers' first depth chart release, Trice didn't see the field until late in his first preseason game against the Texans. By the time he entered the game, it was with the third-team defense. The 2023 seventh-round pick is clearly more talented than underwhelming options like Anthony Averett and Thomas Graham, but that didn't seem to matter.

Perhaps the Steelers are still taking it cautiously with Trice, who missed his entire rookie season in 2023 with an ACL injury. But why not at least play him with the second-team defense? Trice has talent and potential waiting to be unlocked, and the Steelers need to let him play with the first-team and second-team defense during the team's final two preseason games.

Broderick Jones splitting right tackle and left tackle reps

This experiment of flip-flopping Broderick Jones needs to end. The Steelers plan on making rookie first-round pick Troy Fautanu their right tackle, so they need to plug Broderick at left tackle and leave him there.

Admittedly, the Georgia product struggled in his first preseason game, but it can't help when you are always shuffling sides in practice. We knew how raw Jones was coming out of college in 2023. Mike Tomlin needs to put him in one spot and leave him there.

Unfortunately, with Fautanu nursing a knee injury, it looks like the Steelers are going to continue to stretch Jones too thin. This could stunt his development and cause further struggles on the field. At this point, it doesn't matter if Dan Moore Jr. can't play right tackle. Pittsburgh needs to plug in Jones (their 14th overall pick in 2023) as the starting left tackle and leave him there.

Moving DeMarvin Leal all over the defensive line

I was cautiously optimistic when the Steelers selected DeMarvin Leal in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft... but that was before I realized how he was going to be used. Instead of having him add some weight and making him a penetrating 3-technique as a defensive tackle, Pittsburgh has been shuffling him all over the defensive line -- so much so that he hasn't been able to sink in at one position.

During training camp and the team's first preseason game, Leal lined up as both an edge rusher and interior defender. Though Leal is a smooth mover, he's never going to be fast enough to be effective as an edge rusher. At 6'4'' and roughly 290 pounds, Leal should be knifing into the backfield from the 'A' gap and taking the fastest route to the quarterback. It feels like the team is failing him by how he's being used.