Which player on defense needs to step up the most?

I would say it's Tuitt, hopefully he stays healthy and earns that big contract he got last season. They need him to play the run better, and get about 5-6 sacks. Dupree would be a close second, see if he can play up to the investment they made by picking up his 5th year option.

 

Trick question. All of them.

 

Vince Williams needs to rise above his current level of play and become more of an intelligent player instead of a reactionary one. His first instinct is a big hit when he doesn't know the play. He needs to read the ball carrier wait for him to commit and then flow to the ball with the fury and suddenness he brings when he doesn't know the play.

 

Why is production tied to money? Tuitt's production wasn't due to getting a new deal and feeling lazy, he basically played the entire season with one arm and side of his body weakened. His burst before the injury showed just how disuptive he could have been.

 

My opinion is Dupree. We need him to start terrorizing QB's when he rushes & to lock down his side on rushes.

 

One from each line to be a sb defense.

Tuitt, bud, burns

 

My feeling is that with another year under his belt TJ Watt will continue to be dominant and he and Heyward will collapse their side of the pocket and chase QB's towards Bud. So he will just need to be patient and try to keep hands off him.

 

Yes. I hope he quits running too far into the backfield to make a play.

 

You are right. I voted for Dude DuPree because he needs to stop the run to his side and apply pressure to the QBs. More than not at all! I am not hung up on sacks since even 10 sacks are just ten plays out of how many hundreds. Sacks and a lot of hurries and run contains are what I want. Help the weak ___ DBs.

Javon needs to step up his game in the middle or Tyson ALualu will have his starting role. A new line coach, Dunbar, may not see Javon's potential in the same manner as Mitchell.

Sean Davis for himself alone needs to really improve all facets of his game. I thought he was terrible last year. By mid-season at least I think he will be watching from bench. The guy has no idea how to tackle. "So I should do more than run into the guy with the ball and bounce off of him?"

Burns had better grow up and mature or he will be on the bench watching and learning from Sutton.

Williams and Haden are what they are veterans with minimal upside.

Tuitt for the 56th pick should be a real impact player and he is not. He might as well be 5th rounder. He can't stay on the field. I hope some how he gets pushed with competition. Not sure it will this year. Cam needs help from him.

Watt needs to develop more power and better rush moves. At least add one or two moves to his repertoire of one move. Needs to be more "dobre shunka." That is he needs to develop the same amazingly consistent play of Jack Ham and his brother JJ. Don't disappear for whole games.

I hope the draftees and UDFAs can push this defense to improve by pressuring players for the positions. How many games last season did the offense win? Defense?

 

I went for Hargrave though who knows how much we’ll see of him.

His disappearance last year was one of the great mysteries.

 

Dupree and close 2nd Tuitt.

 

It is tough to pick one out of Tuitt and Dupree. Both need to be better against the run and pass for the defense to improve.

It's going to take more than one player stepping up for the Steelers to have even a decent defense. Burnett will help, but I don't think they got that much help this offseason. The real potential for improvement lies in getting better performances from Tuitt, Dupree, Davis, Burns and Hargrave. I think all of them can be better than what we saw in 2017, but none of them is a sure thing.

 

Dupree, Tuit, Burns, Davis, Williams in that order

 

I never said Tuitt was lazy, despite what you think he's the highest paid player on defense so he does need to produce more. I acknowledged he wasn't fully healthy last season.

 

For me it is Sean Davis with a catch. This is it for him as this is likely his last chance. Much of this depends in if he can win out against Morgan Burnett for the Free Safety position.


Quite a bit of smashmouth teams, teams with superb tight ends or both will be on slate for this season. How further our defense can go forward rests on Sean's abilities.


Should he not succeed, we will be seeing Terrell Edmunds sooner rather than later; not good circumstances for him.



Now, should Sean become a Free Safety, mant, if not all my concerns are non factors.

 

I think it's Tuitt and if he can become a force it will help Dupree as well. If Tuitt can become someone who can't be blocked 1on 1 he and Dupree can play off each other's success...

 

I picked Dupree because I thought he was gonna be a major upgrade from Jarvis Jones. You can't always take that wide loop to get to the QB because you'll leave your side wide open for the run. It really hurt us when he does that & still rarely sack the QB. So if your not sacking on a regular basis, you might as well try to secure your side from the run

 

Safety Terrell Edmunds.

 

Dupree needs to meet TJ at the QB.

 

I don't think Burnett and Davis will be in competition with one another. Most likely, they will be the two starters, with Edmunds getting every opportunity to be a hybrid linebacker/safety in nickel and dime packages.

 

Tuitt played hurt all of last season, and he was badly injured, before that he did a great job. Burns and Dupree really need to improve and I'll throw Sean Davis in there as well. I think Davis needs to have a great camp and preseason if he wants to stay a starter, Dupree needs to have a good season as he got his 5th year option but not on ability but because they have nobody else.

Burns needs to get some courage and not shy away from contact and he needs to rely on technique rather than guessing. I'm hoping the team installs a monitor over his locker with every 50 yard pass play he was responsible for giving up played on a continuous loop hoping he gets the message that his job isn't a lock.

So I guess I'd have to say that there are 3 who need to step up and one who has to prove he was hampered by injury. Tuitt is the guy that needs to show his play was marred by injury, Dupree, Davis, and Burns need to prove they belong in the NFL as a position player as I believe they could all function on special teams.

 

Dupree. He has been quite the 1st round pick disappointment that we didn't want to see after the Jarvis Jones bust. This is a pivotal year. The whole 5th year option carrot has been dangled (which I wasn't on board with) so it's put up or shut up for Dupree. Good thing that they can pull the option if in so he disappoints and has another ghost injury. Hope he finally puts it all together but his history has not indicated it.

 

I picked Vince. He sure as heck isn't going to be the guy dropping into coverage, so he needs to get off blocks and plug the run game. That is his main job. The sacks were a bonus but are also created by scheme, he is the blitzed that's mostly unaccounted for. He wasn't a starter prior to last year because of his limitations as an all around LB, so stopping the run was his major job this year and he was very average at it.

I do believe one player can affect another's in this complex game. Shazier affected many other players games.tuitts injury affected Dupree's game. Watt will affect Dupree's game. We had so many sub par players and so many new players trying to mesh together last year at different times that it affected the defense overall. This year many positions will be much more stable as these guys play together more and are healthy again. It WILL be better this year. IF, we stay healthy.

 

Hey, Williams did intercept Tom Brady last year!

In all seriousness, I didn't even consider him for this list because I don't think it is realistic to expect much improvement from Williams at this point. I think he is what he is. He is a solid tackler who is capable of making the big hit and making plays on inside blitzes. His recognition and lateral movement are below average, which is one of many reasons the run defense was a problem last year. He's a below-average NFL starter.

 

I voted for Artie Burns but would change it to Sean Davis. He's the one that really needs to step up imo. We have no other options at FS so if he bombs like he did last year that is going to sting. If Burnett has to move to FS then we are right back where we were with Davis at SS. Davis better put a cot in the film room since we are relying on him to learn a new position. Not a far stretch from SS but he hasn't shown to be a quick study.