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The state of our secondary.
Cornerbacks:
Gay - He's the best we have, and a player that would be difficult to replace if injured as he's more than competent on the outside or slot
Cockrell - A smart playmaker type who lacks some speed. More of a sub package player than a starter.
Grant - A bit of a surprise, Grant looks faster and more confident in his second season. His tackling and playmaking ability were on display in the first two pre-season games. I think he's a little small for the outside but could help out a bit in the sub packages. Apparently, the coaches do not think he's suited for the slot corner role.
Burns - His camp and pre-season were ruined by injuries. When he practiced it was clear he wasn't ready. Because he's a rookie, Burns might not see the field unless an injury promotes him for a while.
Golson - Injured again, he's a complete question mark. It's unclear if he can play at all and alarming for a young player to have the what amounts to 1 1/2 seasons worth of injuries in his second year as a pro.
TBA. I'm not sure who our 5th corner is. He could be playing for another team. It might come down to special teams, though due to being Bruns being very green and Golson hurt, maybe it doesn't. Shabazz stood out in the Eagles game.
Conclusion: This unit lacks size, speed, and experience among the reserves. I think this is our worst cornerback unit in the past 15 seasons.
The pass rush must deliver, and I highly suspect coach Butler will have the men playing off in a zone type alignment more often than not, allowing too many easy completions to help prevent big plays.
Safties:
Mitchell - Looks solid in all phases of the game. If he matures just a bit and doesn;t get flagged he can rate among the best 10 safeties in football
Golden - I think he's our best pure coverage safety. Could be an under appreciated and undervalued player for us. Golden needs to stay healthy be as there is not depth behind him.
Davis - I wasn't a fan of the Davis pick. Had it been in round four okay, but I felt his coverage ability and tackling were red flags in college He has missed tackles in the pre-season and made just 1 vs. the Eagles. I do not think he's suited for the slot and feel deploying him as a rookie could be a little dangerous.
Thomas - Whether he has it above the neck this season is debatable. I did see some improvement, but I also saw him looking too unaware. A good man for special teams.
TBA - Usually this spot goes to special teams, and one of our best in
Ross Ventrone is hurt. Dangerfield is an option, but Tomlin hasn't shown him much respect in the past
There a good chance this spot goes to a waiver wire player.
Conclusion: Our starters appear to be very solid, but the depth is a major issue. Pick your poison between the rookie who's missing tackles in Davis, an assignment challenged Thomas or TBA.
The glass is half full: With two rookies and Golson coming back, this unit will be better as the season progresses. The Steelers do have a lot of youth among the DB's
The glass is half empty. I see lots of holes in our dime defense, and if a front line starter goes down, the next man up will be exposed. Last year this unit rated 30th in the NFL, and faced 7 back up QB's. I tend to doubt we'll be facing as many back up QB's this year.
Cornerbacks:
Gay - He's the best we have, and a player that would be difficult to replace if injured as he's more than competent on the outside or slot
Cockrell - A smart playmaker type who lacks some speed. More of a sub package player than a starter.
Grant - A bit of a surprise, Grant looks faster and more confident in his second season. His tackling and playmaking ability were on display in the first two pre-season games. I think he's a little small for the outside but could help out a bit in the sub packages. Apparently, the coaches do not think he's suited for the slot corner role.
Burns - His camp and pre-season were ruined by injuries. When he practiced it was clear he wasn't ready. Because he's a rookie, Burns might not see the field unless an injury promotes him for a while.
Golson - Injured again, he's a complete question mark. It's unclear if he can play at all and alarming for a young player to have the what amounts to 1 1/2 seasons worth of injuries in his second year as a pro.
TBA. I'm not sure who our 5th corner is. He could be playing for another team. It might come down to special teams, though due to being Bruns being very green and Golson hurt, maybe it doesn't. Shabazz stood out in the Eagles game.
Conclusion: This unit lacks size, speed, and experience among the reserves. I think this is our worst cornerback unit in the past 15 seasons.
The pass rush must deliver, and I highly suspect coach Butler will have the men playing off in a zone type alignment more often than not, allowing too many easy completions to help prevent big plays.
Safties:
Mitchell - Looks solid in all phases of the game. If he matures just a bit and doesn;t get flagged he can rate among the best 10 safeties in football
Golden - I think he's our best pure coverage safety. Could be an under appreciated and undervalued player for us. Golden needs to stay healthy be as there is not depth behind him.
Davis - I wasn't a fan of the Davis pick. Had it been in round four okay, but I felt his coverage ability and tackling were red flags in college He has missed tackles in the pre-season and made just 1 vs. the Eagles. I do not think he's suited for the slot and feel deploying him as a rookie could be a little dangerous.
Thomas - Whether he has it above the neck this season is debatable. I did see some improvement, but I also saw him looking too unaware. A good man for special teams.
TBA - Usually this spot goes to special teams, and one of our best in
Ross Ventrone is hurt. Dangerfield is an option, but Tomlin hasn't shown him much respect in the past
There a good chance this spot goes to a waiver wire player.Conclusion: Our starters appear to be very solid, but the depth is a major issue. Pick your poison between the rookie who's missing tackles in Davis, an assignment challenged Thomas or TBA.
The glass is half full: With two rookies and Golson coming back, this unit will be better as the season progresses. The Steelers do have a lot of youth among the DB's
The glass is half empty. I see lots of holes in our dime defense, and if a front line starter goes down, the next man up will be exposed. Last year this unit rated 30th in the NFL, and faced 7 back up QB's. I tend to doubt we'll be facing as many back up QB's this year.
