PITTSBURGH — Steelers fans were hoping for a lot during the team’s bye week. Matt Canada’s getting fired, or at worst, Mike Sullivan’s taking over the play-calling duties? Jaylen Warren’s starting over Najee Harris?
OK, maybe starting rookie inside linebacker Mark Robinson instead of Devin Bush was also a wish for some.
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The Steelers headed into the bye week at 2-6 for the first time in nearly a decade and, after sitting and watching this past weekend, are the second-worst team in the AFC. So a change was not only called for but it was also demanded.
As the Steelers get set to practice Wednesday in preparation for Sunday’s game against the Saints, Canada is still employed, Sullivan isn’t calling plays, Harris is No. 1 on the depth chart, and Robinson will be lucky to be active.
But to say the Steelers sat back on their laurels during the bye and didn’t mix things up would be a lie.
The change just happened to be on the defensive side of the ball.
Mike Tomlin on adding vets to secondary this late in the season pic.twitter.com/mqbs7kPMo6
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) November 8, 2022
With the acquisition of cornerback William Jackson III coincidentally lining up with the return of Damontae Kazee — after the secondary got torched by Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown in Week 8 — the Steelers added 144 games’ worth of experience in one fell swoop at the midway point of the season.
Jackson has started 64 of 75 career games and Kazee 49 of 69.
“Anytime you get veteran presences, it is an asset to you,” Tomlin said. “Been-there, done-that guys, and those guys are that.”
The Steelers revamped their corners in the offseason despite being 13th in the league against the pass in 2021. They signed Levi Wallace, extended Ahkello Witherspoon and brought back Terrell Edmunds on the cheap.
It hasn’t gone as planned, partly because of injuries. Each of their defensive backs other than Arthur Maulet has missed at least one game with an injury. The Steelers have the second-worst pass defense in the league, allowing 277.3 yards per game. They allowed three long touchdown passes to Brown two weeks ago, putting into focus how poorly the secondary has been playing.
Typically, it would be something the Steelers would have to live with, as young and inexperienced players would be the only route they could take.
Not this year.
The Steelers made the unorthodox move of trading for a maligned former first-round pick in Jackson, whom they had all intentions to draft in 2016. Jackson will be given what will turn out to be a nine-game tryout at cornerback.
“He adds another guy who can cover,” safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said. “He’s a man-to-man guy. Keep the deep ball off us. Win 50/50 balls. We are going to expect him to cover good receivers, and that allows us to sit back and play ball.”
The Steelers have allowed an NFL-worst 12.2 yards per reception and 17 touchdown catches. They have allowed the most 20-plus yard completions per game. Part of that can be attributed to the lack of pass rush with T.J. Watt out since Week 1, but the secondary hasn’t helped.
Jackson didn’t fit in Washington, and it’s unknown how he can adjust to a more friendly defense (for him) with the Steelers.
Damontae Kazee had a broken forearm and a dislocated wrist (10 weeks ago). He will come off the injured reserve this week for the Steelers.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) November 7, 2022
Kazee could be a difference maker. He’s been out since fracturing his forearm in late August. Before that, he was earmarked to have a significant role in the defense. In training camp, the veteran made such an impression that the Steelers felt putting three safeties on the field at the same time was going to be quite beneficial.
Kazee ran with the first team when Fitzpatrick was out for the first couple of weeks of camp. To put it succinctly, the Steelers wanted to free up Fitzpatrick as much as they could in the secondary to be more of a playmaker, and with the addition of Kazee, they were able to do that.
“With me and (Edmunds) out there, I feel like offenses get a bead on where we are, how we’re lined up, what we’re doing, stuff like that,” Fitzpatrick said. “When Kazee is out there, it adds a third guy who can also move around and be anything in the secondary. It does give them a more difficult read.”
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The thought in August was to put Kazee on the field to match offensive personnel groups and combat two-tight-end sets.
“It’s one of the things that are in vogue to combat two-tight end personnel groups, particularly when one of those tight ends is a vertical upfield type and a guy that’s wide receiver-like,” Tomlin said. “So, we explored that some, and it was an asset to us, and it’s reasonable to expect us to continue in that vein.”
Kazee is a ballhawk. He set a school record with 17 interceptions at San Diego State. In the three years he’s started in the NFL, he has collected 12 interceptions, including a league-leading seven in 2018 with Atlanta. The Steelers added him to the roster late in free agency this year, after he spent last year in Dallas.
“As a DB crew, we have to get that ball,” Kazee said. “If it’s in our hands, we have to make plays. That’s what they pay us to do. We got to make plays out there, get turnovers, and give our offense another opportunity. Anywhere somebody needs help. If Minkah goes down, I’ll go back there. If Terrell goes down, go play his position. Anywhere, just be versatile.”
Now it will be Tomlin’s job to mix and match 10 defensive backs that have seen action this year down to a manageable group.
Kazee surely will be one of them.
“I can’t wait until Kazee gets back, dog,” said Maulet, who trains with Kazee in Florida during the offseason. “High energy, that guy knows what he’s doing. He can make plays on the ball. He’s a big ball-search guy, a splash-play guy. He has confidence and brings a lot of energy and makes you have fun with the game. I can’t wait, caaaaaaan’t wait.”
Cameron Sutton will keep his starting job at right cornerback, but his versatility could also be used. Wallace (if healthy), James Pierre and Jackson will work on the left side, and Witherspoon could be the odd man out. On the back end, Fitzpatrick and Edmunds will start, with Tre Norwood and Kazee to be used on a game-plan-specific basis.
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With so many different faces, there is a potential pitfall: communication.
“We have new guys in there and they have to make sure they know how we talk, how we communicate, and you can’t just expect them to know so we have to over-communicate,” Fitzpatrick said.
(Photo of Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ahkello Witherspoon: Eric Hartline / USA Today)
