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It’s been an offseason of change for the Pittsburgh Steelers. While they haven’t been able to win a playoff game since the 2016 postseason, with Mike Tomlin, the Steelers knew they’d never be one of the NFL’s worst teams. Now, the hope is that another former Super Bowl-winning head coach in Mike McCarthy can help Pittsburgh end their playoff win drought.
Yet, now the question is, have the Steelers done enough to give McCarthy a roster he can contend with in an improved AFC South? There could still be one move that could improve the Steelers’ defense, which ranked 17th in points allowed last season, but now won’t have Tomlin making the calls.
Steelers May Still Consider Another Linebacker
Tomlin spent the past 19 seasons orchestrating the defense. But now Pittsburgh won’t have that expertise to rely on, which means more will fall on the shoulders of the team’s veterans like Cam Heyward. One area that could be tested is a linebacker group led by Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson. But what about the depth here?
The Athletic‘s Steelers insider Mike DeFabo recently took a look at some training camp battles in Pittsburgh. When it came to the ‘base inside linebacker,’ DeFabo noted the expected competition between Cole Holcomb and Malik Harrison. Yet, he believes the Steelers could still scour the NFL waiver wire around cutdown day to find a potential upgrade at linebacker.
Rosters are sitting at 90 players across the league right now. On Aug. 30, rosters need to get down to 53 players. That means over 1,100 players will become available later this summer, and there will be a lot more tape available on them after navigating the preseason too. Surely, a number of players will stick out among the competition.
Yet, the Steelers’ new coaching staff could also fall in love with the talent they have on hand. Athletes are working on their game all summer for a reason; it’s not unreasonable to think that a few of the Steelers’ linebackers are ready to take a leap in their development. As they say, competition breeds excellence, and the battles will be fierce in Steelers training camp.
Related: Very Recent Pittsburgh Steelers Day 2 Draft Pick Could Lose Roster Spot
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