One of the Steelers offseason goals find some run stoppers

With Art ll comments after the season about the team needing to stop the run, I hope they double dip at DL in the draft which is really deep at DL. They need a true NT I don't care if he only plays 35% of the snaps Benton isn't the answer at NT.

 

Been saying this for years. Steelers are soft on DL and OL. Steelers are getting pushed around on both sides of the ball.

 

Double dipping at one position? I'm not dismissing the 3 7th round picks we have, but generally you find starters round 1-2, some in 3 and 4, spot starters and depth 3-5, sp teams and development 6-UDA. Always outliers, but with our first 5 picks I have read we need to double up on CB, WR, RB, and now DL. Oh yes a Qb or even 2, IOL. safety,

I doubt we get the doubles so many desire.

 

Just follow what the eagles did.
Look at that DLine.

 

They need to find a starter on the DL in rd1 or rd2, anybody they find in rd3 or rd4 could be depth.

 

Both of their IDL guys were top 20 picks in the first round though.

 

You are missing the calculations, that's fine if they do that, but the other holes still need filled. there are not enough picks to fill what this team needs, a weak FA group can help, and drafting two DL with your first 3 picks is fine, but then again they better be outstanding or they are not starting soon in MT's D. I'm not spreading gray clouds either, I think the team can be competitive if they get the rights guys, at least another run at the play offs, I do not believe this team can be SB ready with the way we have been doing business.

I probably am not speaking logic to many fans, not emotional, just business. Open the trade window and see what you can get can get for TJ, Mincah, and even Pickens.

get picks for this and next year, get a foundation started and have to capital to go after your QB in 26. I know we wont do it, but I have watched teams in this league go from success, move on from aging players at the right time and rebuild very quickly. We so not have THAT system in place, so we continue to struggle with the mundane and rest on the laurels of dusty SB trophies.

 

Again... if it were that easy.


People attempting to emulate the Eagles success dont fully understand why it works in the first place. It is more than just acquiring the likes of Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith, Milton Williams, Moro Ojombo, Jaylx Hunt, etc. Scheme and Coaching matter a lot as well. Vic Fangio definitely receives a lot of the headlines but Clint Hurtt is one of the Eagles unsung hero hires of 2024.

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Pittsburgh has the right coach (for now) in Karl Dunbar but are still short. Their is no Run Defense Specialist here; something that is a dire need. In addition, they dont possess the right schematics to make these IDLs work. Having the EDGEs two gap all the damn time while the IDL just operate one is nice in theory but in practice, it is very, very easy to beat once an opponent adapts. Philly did this and exploited it to devastating effect.



In short?! Pittsburgh has much more work to do than just adding talent from a players perspective. The team needs a new injection of ideas and ingenuity from both Coaching Staff and Game Planning. Given how little their has been any announcements (and time running out via the tampering period no less), I wouldnt hold my breath.

 

Just as in our back end, much deadwood on defensive line, get rid of it.

 

Yep the old chicken and egg ... NE gave the recipe to beat the Steelers scheme years ago.. I think they ran the ball 5 times or so .. It doesn't matter if you have a a great in the box defense a good QB with a good scheme negate them.. A Defense has to be able to man up and slow down the quick throws ..

So until we move away from so much soft zone its really a waste to spend capitol on the front 7 .. We need at least 2 CB'S and a FS ,I said it years ago Minkah is a Robber not a Deep FS we moved him out of the robber role and he is a shell of himself..We need him back in the box jumping those quick throws ..

 

The Steelers only played 25.6% in their Base Defense. 266 snaps out of 1,041 total snaps in 2024.

The Nickle defense was 58.2%. 606 snaps.

The Sub-Package was 73.3%. 731 snaps.

So I believe they won't be going for a Casey Hampton/ Joel Steed type but a Defensive Tackle to replace Heyward when he is done plus Ogunjobi I feel will be a cap cut.

They might get a low tier FA big body to fill that 25%

Benton is more of a DT/DE.

 

We definitely do need some run stoppers so that opposing running backs will stop consistently gashing us for 5 to 9 yards on first down.

However, I think that the Steelers are very close to a downslope. A lot of our best players are getting older and/or coming up on contracts. Khan is going to have to do some creative work to keep us competitive.

 

How did those sub packages work for you?

 

This downslope may happen faster than fans and the front office is willing to admit. The Steelers may realistically need to rebuilt the entire offense sans the OL and TEs. There's no guarantee that Fields and Wilson returns, but I think Fields will. The RB that's likely to return should be Warren. Then at WR, it appears Pickens will probably be traded and at best will play out the season and move on via FA. The guaranteed WRs returning are CAIII and an unproven Roman Wilson. Sure they can fill the holes at RB and WR in the draft, FA and via trade(s). This could potentially be a massive turnover and will take weeks into the season to develop chemistry and communication and such. Which begs the question, which stars on defense will itch to be traded out of here?

 

The problem is development of players under coach T's reign. Every year we go into the draft needing the same positions.

 

And most their money goes to offense.

Hey, I know the position we are in come Sunday. I'm 100% certain Eagles are winning. I hate it too. I called it when they beat the Pats. They are 3 straight stoppers in SB's. If they didn't beat Pats, they would have won 3 straight.
Pats won a SB, lost to eagles, won SB.

 

Just posting what is reality. I'm not on the team.

They play a boat load of nickel. The base defense would work better if they had playmakers in the secondary as well as linebackers to cover well. They don't. But even then most teams that pass more utilize more weapons. So there is a need for sub packages. You need a competent defensive coordinator to get the right personal on the field depending on the strengths of the team your playing.
But the mantra Of Bags Tomlin is were going to beat you with what we have. Archaic and stale.

 

Yep to many week spots in coverage and Teams plan and exploit it late in the season every year once all our blitzes and stunts are on tape our Defense gets exposed .. We need better players that play a better style ... Until we move away from so much zone we will never be great ....

 

That percentage of base was down from 40.3% in 2023 and the lowest in over eight years. I can't speak to where they want to go next year, but there are a few larger DTs that would traditionally be thought of as a 3-4 nose-type who also have excellent athleticism (Grant, Capehart, e.g.). They could be used in rotation with the DEs in nickel formations.

Nevertheless, having a strong presence at NT should force longer second and third downs for the opposition. Helps the defense out even when not on the field.