When we ranked the offensive positional units for the Pittsburgh Steelers from last season, it was hard to pick No. 1 because the entire unit struggled so much. The same can be said for the defense but the other direction. There was really no weak link that stood out. Here’s our top five.
5-Inside linebackers
Rookie Devin Bush was great. His only limitation last season was how the coaches handled him in terms of his snap count and situational football. Bush led the team in tackles. Mark Barron, unfortunately, underwhelmed after being signed as a free agent and is the key reason this unit comes in last. Vince Williams played well but was underutilized all season.
4-Defensive line
You can never discount what an elite player Cam Heyward is. He was once again the leader of this defense and put together another monstrous season. But the rest of the group was more workmanlike than standouts. Props to Javon Hargrave for making the most of his opportunities but this unit as a whole did miss Stephon Tuitt.
3-Safeties
The addition of Minkah Fitzpatrick was the single biggest move this franchise made and it paid huge dividends. When he first joined the team he was a turnover machine and forced teams to gameplan away from him in the second half of the season. Terrell Edmunds was once again average but this ranking is carried by Fitzpatrick.
2-Outside linebackers
The tandem of T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree were practically unstoppable in 2019. The two combined for a remarkable 26 sacks and 42.5 tackles for loss. There was literally no depth behind these two but ultimately it didn’t really matter. Dupree and Watt were the best edge tandem in the NFL and had I put them at No. 1 I doubt anyone would have been surprised.
1-Cornerbacks
Who would have ever thought the best defensive positional unit would be cornerbacks on a Steelers’ team? Not me at the start of the season, that’s for sure. But the trio of Joe Haden, Steven Nelson and Mike Hilton just impressed more and more each week. Nelson, in particular, was impressive after joining the Steelers on the largest free-agent contract in team history. Everyone expected Haden and Hilton to be great but Nelson’s elite play put this group over the top.
