If the Pittsburgh Steelers could have gotten a more consistent effort from the defense in 2018, there’s little doubt they would have made the playoffs. The Pittsburgh coaches and front office took this to heart as they focused heavily in the offseason on improving the defense at multiple levels.
Here are the three biggest areas of improvement for the Steelers defense.
Athleticism at inside linebacker
The additions of Mark Barron and Devin Bush are huge. Both players bring speed and athleticism this group lacked in 2018. If nothing else had changed for the entire defense, adding the rookie Bush alone makes this group more formidable. We still aren’t sure where Barron fits with Vince Williams but it is better to have three really good inside linebacker than just one.
Quality starters at cornerback
The Steelers paid out their biggest free-agent contract ever to cornerback Steven Nelson this offseason. And we think Nelson is going to be worth every penny. Nelson paired up with Joe Haden gives the Steelers perhaps the best starting cornerbacks of the Mike Tomlin era. You add in Mike Hilton as the nickel and rookie Justin Layne, this group could be one of the strongest in the AFC.
Another year for Keith Butler
Last season, defensive coordinator Keith Butler didn’t have the answers. Butler has been the defensive coordinator since 2015 but coached more like a first-year guy in 2018. There never felt like Butler had a real philosophy for the defense and week to week it didn’t always feel like the unit was on the same page. But some of this had to be attributed to the holes in the roster. With those holes filled, I expect to see more aggressive and confident gameplans from Butler with this defense.
