Steelers' subtle defensive adjustments tease larger roles for 3 key players

During the bye week, many teams in the NFL take the opportunity to review previous games and make much-needed adjustments moving forward. Regardless of their impressive record, the Pittsburgh Steelers are no exception.

Following their bye week in Week 9, the Steelers took on the Washington Commanders and showed that they are always willing to improve by making a few minor adjustments and coming away with a win, 28-27.

So, what adjustments did they make and what players are in store for an expanded role moving forward?

LB Elandon Roberts

For only the second time this year, Elandon Roberts was able to see the field more than rookie LB Payton Wilson. The first instance was in their Week 3 matchup against the LA Chargers when Roberts accounted for only one more snap than Wilson did.

However, in their most recent game against the Commanders, Roberts’ role seemingly took a big jump as he was involved in 67% of the total snaps, compared to Wilson’s 20%.

It seems that a big reason for this was that in prior games, the Steelers' defense was exposed in defending the run, specifically, defending the run while in their Nickel package. This could be why Elandon Roberts took the majority of the snaps alongside fellow LB Patrick Queen.

Roberts isn’t the pass coverage specialist you’d hope for at the position, however, he’s proven to be a force in defending the run as the Steelers defense held the Commanders to only 60 yards on the ground. Also, Roberts was not targeted in this game, so his pass coverage ability was neither impactful nor a liability.

So far, this adjustment has seemed to work for the Steelers defense, and with Derrick Henry coming to town, I’d expect Elandon Roberts to hang on to the majority of snaps between him and Payton Wilson for now.

CB Cameron Sutton

After an eight-game suspension and spending the 2023 season in Detroit, Cameron Sutton suited up for the black and gold for the first time since January 8th, 2023.

As expected, Sutton’s snap counts were limited to allow him to get reacclimated with the Steelers' defense. However, once the second half began, we saw glimpses of what Mike Tomlin may have in store for Sutton moving forward.

Cameron Sutton’s knowledge of the game and athletic ability allow him to virtually play any position within the Steelers' secondary. This could be vital down the stretch as Mike Tomlin could look to keep his player’s legs as fresh as possible.

During the Week 10 matchup against the Commanders, we saw Sutton sub-in for rookie CB Beanie Bishop at the Nickel cornerback position on 14 occasions. Also, while in their base 3-4 alignment, Sutton swapped with safety Deshon Elliot a few times to give him a well-deserved break. In addition, Sutton also has the ability to play outside cornerback if needed.

That being said, I would expect to see Cameron Sutton’s role continue to expand as the Steelers approach the end of the year.

READ MORE: George Pickens is flourishing since Russell Wilson took over as Steelers' QB

S Minkah Fitzpatrick

How can a player who plays 98%-100% of the snaps on defense have an expanded role?

Well, when it comes to Minkah Fitzpatrick, we’re talking about where and how the Steelers use him instead of how often they use him.

Also, an expanded role for Cameron Sutton could mean an expanded role for Fitzpatrick. For some reason, it seems like Cameron Sutton’s presence could be the key to unleashing ‘Minkah Ball’. They just always seem to be on the same page.

During their time together from 2019-2022, Fitzpatrick tallied a total of 17 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. After Sutton’s departure in 2023, Fitzpatrick hasn’t added to either category, not once.

Sure, this could be just a strange coincidence and things just haven’t gone Fitzpatrick’s way in quite some time. However, in Sutton’s first game back, they started showing glimpses of how they could start to use Minkah Fitzpatrick in different ways.

For instance, in their Week 10 matchup against the Commanders, Fitzpatrick only lined up as the deep safety on 43 of his snaps, which was a season-low for him. Instead, he spent 14 snaps in the box (season-high), 5 snaps lined up as the Nickel cornerback (season-high), and 2 snaps in coverage as a traditional cornerback (season-high).

Look for the Steelers to continue to use Fitzpatrick in different ways to try to get him to have more of an impact and create more turnovers down the stretch.