Cam Heyward registered the first of the Steelers' seven sacks on the Bengals' first snap of their first series in Sunday's season opener in Cincinnati. He was still out there with a minute to go in overtime before getting hurt on the 98th of 100 plays the Bengals would run in the marathon contest that didn't end until Chris Boswell booted a 53-yarder to end it.
The Steelers created tremendous pressure on Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow throughout the game, due in part to a liberal defensive line rotation. The Steelers played all six defensive tackles they dressed, and none of them played more than 60% of the snaps in the game.
Heyward led all defensive linemen with 57 snaps, followed by Larry Ogunjobi with 53, Chris Wormley 41, Tyson Alualu 33, DeMarvin Leal 15 and Montravius Adams 5.
"Especially with a game like that, it was good to keep everyone as fresh as we can, especially our star players, so when it comes down to it, they'll be able to get after it," Alualu said. "It's always good to have those bodies and keep that rotation and not just for a single game but for the longevity of the season."
It was quite the change for the Steelers, who were forced out of necessity in seasons past to play their starters for most of the game and only one or two backups because they lacked quality depth at the position.
Heyward, for example, has never played fewer than 77% of the snaps over the course of a season since he became a starter in 2013. In most of the years, he played more than 80% of the snaps, including 82% of them last season.
"We have really good depth," defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. "We were thinking that, coming through camp, that we had a really good, deep [defensive] line and that we would be able to give guys breaks so we were fresh and healthy down to the end. I think, when you look at the way we played, we played hard. We got after it all the way up to play 102 or whatever it was. I think that's a testament to the depth we have and the quality of players we have up front."
Upon the retirement of Stephon Tuitt over the offseason, the Steelers took steps to replenish the position in the months before training camp. They selected Leal in the third round of the draft, and they signed Ogunjobi to a free agent contract following minicamp six weeks later.
With Alualu healthy after missing most of last season with an ankle injury, it's made for some spirited competition in practices to see who gets to play on Sundays. Isaiahh Loudermilk, who made two starts and played nearly 300 snaps as a rookie, was a healthy scratch against the Bengals.
"Looking at the numbers, I think we did a pretty good job with that, making sure everyone got reps and everyone was available," Heyward said. "I'm always up for every guy being on the field and everyone getting used to the game and being a part of it. We have to stay healthy. We understand it's a 17-game season. It's a lot on our bodies. It's not a pride thing. We have to make sure we take care of ourselves."
Austin said the age of the starters is not the reason for the rotation, but Heyward is 33 and Alualu 35. Ogunjobi, who is 28, is coming off foot surgery and did not practice a lot in training camp.
Austin liked what he saw in his reserves. Wormley had three tackles, including one for loss, and Alualu, Leal and Adams all got on the stat sheet, too.
"That only works if the guy behind you is able to play with the same intensity and the same productivity," said Adams, another newbie who came to the Steelers late last season when they were hit hard by injuries. "That's a credit to the veterans, but it's a credit to the young guys, too."
Austin believes in rotating players at linebacker, too. Reserve outside linebackers Malik Reed and Jamir Jones played 32 and 18 snaps, respectively. Reed, of course, will be asked to play many more now with T.J. Watt going on injured reserve.
"I think that's always important for your team," Austin said. "It's a 17-game season. You want to make sure you develop depth behind those guys. We know guys like T.J. and Alex [Highsmith], they play hard. It's hard to play that way every play. It's the same with the inside guys. You have to develop quality depth, and we have that."
Whether the rotation remains the same is up to the reserves and how well they play. Alualu, for one, believes it's a must over the course of a 17-game season.
"It's about trusting that plan and sticking to it so Cam and T.J. don't have to play 80 snaps a game where it will take a toll on their body later in the year," he said. "If you can trust it and trust the guys in the room to go out there and get the job done, it will only benefit them and the group overall."
