The Pittsburgh Steelers have rebuilt a big chunk of their defense from last season and this includes the safety position. Let’s take a look at what’s new and offer up our outlook for the season a day ahead of the start of training camp.
What the Steelers have
Let’s start by saying the Steelers have the best all-around safety in the NFL in Minkah Fitzpatrick. This makes everything else we talk about here important but just knowing Fitzpatrick is back there is a huge plus for a secondary with so many new parts. Terrell Edmunds is gone but Damontae Kazee is back and the team added Keanu Neal in free agency. Tre Norwood and Miles Killebrew return as well.
What do the Steelers need?
At this point, it is all about the division of labor. Sorting out when Neal is on the field and when it’s Kazee. Then figuring out what to do when cornerback Patrick Peterson moves back to safety and will this mean Neal and/or Kazee comes off the field. Another thing to keep an eye on is how the Steelers defense utilizes Tre Norwood who is something of a tweener.
Outlook
Terrell Edmunds was an underrated player, especially in run support but we are hopeful Kazee and Neal can fill that void. If they do and allow Fitzpatrick to be the rangy free safety he is best at, this group will once again be very strong.
Training camp previews
Here are the rest of our training camp previews.
