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The top priority for new Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy was to come in and improve a struggling offense. The jury is still out as to whether or not this happened based on our offensive grades but we do feel like the Steelers defense is ready to take the next step under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
Here are our grades for the Steelers defensive positional units heading into training camp next week.
Defensive line - B+
Even if Cameron Heyward is trending down in his career, he's still an excellent player. You pair him up with young star Derrick Harmon and they have the best pair of 3-4 defensive ends in the AFC. This unit would get an A if we had more confidence in a consistent season from nose tackle Keeanu Benton but the depth of Yahya Black and Sebastian Joseph-Day keeps this grade up.
Outside linebacker - A
The trio of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig are the best trio of edge defenders in the NFL. Bar none. It's just a matter of getting them all of the field. All the focus is on them but Jack Sawyer is a great No. 4 edge.
Inside linebacker - C+
This group is untapped potential and overrated salaries. Patrick Queen hasn't lived up to his contract, Payton Wilson is still a work in progress and no one else on the depth chart really matters.
Cornerbacks - A
Signing Jamel Dean was quietly the best offseason addition the Steelers made. This gives Pittsburgh the top trio of cornerbacks in the NFL with Dean, Joey Porter Jr. and Jalen Ramsey. You add in Brandin Echols, Asante Samuel Jr. and Daylen Everett and this might be the best cornerback room in the entire NFL.
Safeties - C-
Moving Ramsey back to cornerback really took a huge chunk out of the Steelers safety room. DeShon Elliott and Jaquan Brisker are nice players but aren't going to scare any offensive coordinators and there is no depth behind them with much promise.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Grading the Steelers defensive units heading into training camp
