Saturday night the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 16-15 in the team’s second preseason game of the year. Let’s hand out some grades for the defense.
Defensive line: C+
Overall, this unit wasn’t awful but we give them something of the benefit of the doubt since defensive tackle Cam Heyward didn’t play. It was great seeing Tyson Alualu back on the field and he made his presence felt early. Another bright spot was the continued strong play of rookie DeMarvin Leal who is working very hard to get reps.
Outside linebacker: B-
Pittsburgh got a brief look at T.J. Watt and in only a few snaps showed why he is the Defensive Player of the Year. Alex Highsmith didn’t play which alog allowed for plenty of reps for the backups. Overall, I thought this group played OK and guys like Delonte Scott and Genard Avery offer a glimmer of hope.
Inside linebacker: B-
Myles Jack returned to his former team and played well. In fact five of the Steelers top eight tackles on Saturday night were inside linebackers. Even Devin Bush made a play or two and Robert Spillane led the team in tackles.
Cornerbacks: C+
As a team, the Jaguars threw for 270 yards on Saturday night. It is hard to put all of that at the feet of the Steelers cornerbacks given the lack of pass rush but this group does get dinged for too many missed tackles that turned short gains into big ones.
Safeties: B
Pittsburgh didn’t have All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick in the lineup but overall the combo of Terrell Edmunds and Damontae Kazee played well. This was especially true in run support when the coaches had them up around the line of scrimmage. The two combined for 10 total tackles. Even backup Donovan Stiner played well with six tackles of his own.
