Steelers' Teryl Austin Addresses New Linebacker Rotation Before Week 1

The Pittsburgh Steelers had two very obvious holes going into the 2023 offseason: outside linebacker/edge depth and inside linebackers in general. Everyone has already heard the stat of only one inside linebacker from 2022 being retained by the Steelers on their 2023 roster, so it's safe to say that they have completely overhauled the core, all the way to the coaching staff. Aaron Curry will get his first chance as a main position coach, and he will have to be tasked with helping the new group gain chemistry and work with this already established defense.

In a post-practice interview, Teryl Austin was asked about the playing time surrounding the entire linebacker core. With Nick Herbig standing out in preseason on a team with TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Markus Golden, it might be hard for him to get reps in the regular season. Austin addressed that in the interview.

"There'll be reps, and no matter how many [Nick Herbig] gets, I think he'll do something with them. If he's a 10, 15, 20-play rep guy, I think he'll do a great job with them... Hopefully we get into some situations in two-minute where he's got to rush the passer and those guys have to rotate in there and we keep them fresh. He's gonna get the snaps, and I think he'll get what he deserves, and we'll go from there. If he earns more, he earns more."

Clearly, the Steelers will want to keep Watt and Highsmith on the field as much as possible, especially since Watt is a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. With those two taking most of the playing time, it will be hard for Herbig to come in and get a ton of reps. However, with Watt's recent injury history, the Steelers might be more willing to rotate him in and out throughout games, so Herbig will compete with Golden to get those reps when Watt and/or Highsmith are out for a play or more. 

Not only does Austin and Curry have to worry about outside linebacker depth, but they have to figure out the inside linebacker core, and who will get what reps. Austin also addressed that concern in the interview.

"I kind of like the way we do it. I think it will be by committee a little bit in terms of who we're playing and what kind of group we're playing and how they fit with what we want to do that week. I think we have three starting-capable linebackers; they've all started, they've all done a good job, and they're doing a really good job for us here."

The Steelers signed Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts during the free agent frenzy back in March, and they just recently signed Kwon Alexander during training camp. They all have a history of making plays while starting for their previous respective teams, and now they have to gain chemistry with each other and work off of each other, especially in certain situations. 

Austin mentioned that it would depend on the weekly gameplan on who plays more. They will also have to factor Mark Robinson into the mix, especially with his ability as a run defender. Roberts just came off of his best season, especially in the pass rush department, so you can expect to see him a lot in games where the Steelers will want to blitz. Alexander has had that level of pass-rush prowess, but after his last season, he might just rotate as a run defender with Robinson and Holcomb. 

While Tanner Muse will likely play a lot of special teams, he could be used as a dimebacker alongside Keanu Neal due to him being somewhat of a linebacker/safety hybrid. He will still have to earn playing time with this new linebacker core, but having an extra pass defender in a passing league can't hurt. Either way, the rotation for the linebackers will be very interesting.

What do you think about Teryl Austin's comments, as well as how the inside and outside linebackers might be used? Let us know down in the comments.

#SteelerNation