ESPN Analyst Noted Steelers Linebackers As "Pitfall" Of Their Elite Defense

The identity of the Pittsburgh Steelers team has always been their defense. The Super Bowl-winning 2008 defense that hosted many greats like Troy Polamalu and James Harrison is one of the first that comes to mind. Another legendary defense would be the "Steel Curtain" era of the 1970s. That defensive line was led by Joe Greene, Dwight White, Ernie Holmes, and L.C. Greenwood. Even on the team today, they are run by their defense. All-Pros T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick are just a few of the names that headline this year's defense.

Main Focus Of The Steelers Offseason

This year, the Steelers are looking once again to their defense to help lead them to a Super Bowl. This offseason, they made that very clear through free agency and the 2023 NFL Draft. In the draft, they brought some much-needed potential to their cornerback room with Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. The Steelers also drafted a big-time nose tackle prospect in Keeanu Benton. He will have time to sit and learn from Heyward in hopes of potentially being the future of the defensive line.

The Steelers went all in on defense during the free agency as well. Their first big splash move was signing future Hall of Fame cornerback Patrick Peterson. They also brought in safety Keanu Neal to help boost their secondary. 

The main focus of the Steelers' offseason was fixing their linebackers. Last season, they were the Steelers' weakest spot on the field. Led by Devin Bush and Myles Jack, they just could not get things to go right and looked awful. Because of this, they brought in Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts to hopefully revamp the position. They also have Mark Robinson returning, who got playing time last season and did well.

But was bringing in two free agents enough? ESPN's Mina Kimes stated that linebacker is her biggest concern with the team's defense this year. She even went to go as far as saying that it could be the pitfall of the entire defense.

"My concern is on that frankly has been a concern with Pittsburgh ever since the retirement of Ryan Shazier and that is at linebacker. Looking at that depth chart, that's what stands out to me, the middle of the defense that is continuing to be an issue both on run defense and in run coverage." Kimes would then say, "If I was an offense playing this team, that is what I would look to attack in the pass game, as well as running the football. So, I think that can be a potential pitfall for an otherwise good unit."

This is a weird time for the Steelers. Historically the linebackers are usually one of the strongest positions on their defense. But since Ryan Shazier, the position hasn't been able to do much of anything. One thing to note with this is that it has always been injuries that have derailed the Steelers linebackers' careers. With Shazier, he took one of the worst hits in NFL history and it completely ended his time in the league.

When you take a look at Bush, it was the same way. He started his rookie year looking to be extremely promising, then when he suffered an ACL injury, he never looked the same. You can even go back to the 2000s with Kendrell Bell. He started his career winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2001. But the following season, he suffered injuries that would continue to haunt him through his entire career.

Although they have struggled in recent years, this could very well be the crew that rights the ship. Robinson was impressive last year for only being a seventh-round pick. Holcomb has a lot of potential at only 26 years old. He can easily be someone that makes big plays. Roberts is the perfect captain for the inside linebackers and has a ton of experience, which will bring the whole crew together well.

So, what do you think, Steeler Nation? Will the inside linebackers turn things around in 2023? Let me know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation