Ben Roethlisberger helped the Pittsburgh Steelers field some great offenses. However, it’s been a while since he’s been under center for them. Over the past few years, defense has been the name of the Steelers’ game once again. That unit has carried them to several wins, while their offense has sputtered. However, Pittsburgh’s defense hasn’t been perfect, facing its own share of struggles. Bucky Brooks said the Steelers better not have any major issues defensively this season.
“You’re paying big money to T.J. Watt,” Brooks said recently on Bleav’s YouTube channel. “You’re paying big money to Jalen Ramsey, who’s on the back end. You have a big money free agent in Patrick Queen that you signed a year ago who has to get up and going and playing at a dominant level.
“Championship defenses have dominant playmakers at all three levels. When I’m looking at the three levels, Watt at the line of scrimmage, Queen at the second level, and then Jalen Ramsey, all the excuses are off for the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
The Steelers’ defense is full of talent. Watt, Queen, and Ramsey have all been All-Pros. Cam Heyward and Darius Slay are older, but they could still both be major contributors. Heyward in particular was still elite last year.
Pittsburgh doesn’t just have stars on its defense, either. The Steelers also have solid complementary pieces, such as Alex Highsmith, Joey Porter Jr., and DeShon Elliott.
The question will be if the Steelers’ new pieces can fit together. Last season was Queen’s first in Pittsburgh, and he didn’t play at the level many expected of him. Ramsey and Slay could be in for a similar learning curve, which might cause some growing pains for the Steelers.
Talent wasn’t an issue for the Steelers’ defense last year. However, that didn’t stop them from looking dysfunctional to end the season. After weeks of solid play, miscommunication and missed tackles suddenly plagued them. The group looked lost, and no one had any answers. That led to another early playoff exit for the Steelers.
This year, it’s tough to envision the Steelers winning the Super Bowl, mostly because of the questions surrounding their offense. However, like Brooks says, their defense has an opportunity to raise their ceiling. If that unit can play to its full potential, the Steelers could be a real threat in the playoffs. On paper, they should be among the NFL’s best. They have to make that a reality, though.
