First Call: Suddenly strong Steelers secondary still has questions
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The Pittsburgh Steelers secondary surprisingly blossomed into one of the best units in the NFL during 2019. That doesn’t mean it is without questions heading into 2020, though.
For Wednesday’s “First Call,” we examine five that stand out.
How do the Steelers make the most of Minkah?
After being acquired in a trade from Miami two games into 2019, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was involved in seven turnovers in his first seven weeks as a Steeler. He was part of just one in the last seven weeks.
The balancing act in 2020 will be to maintain Fitzpatrick’s elite coverage skills in the deep middle of the defense, while also sneaking him closer to the ball at times so he creates even more turnovers.
“Our main mode of operation isn’t going to be Minkah Fitzpatrick down around the box and Terrell Edmunds in the middle of the field,” defensive backs coach Teryl Austin said Tuesday. “That’s not a good plan for us. But you can pick and choose to facilitate getting Minkah in some spots that maybe the offense isn’t used to.”
That harmony could be tough to develop, especially if the Steelers can’t find someone else more adept at patrolling the deep middle than Edmunds, who appears to be built for action closer to the line of scrimmage.
Can Steven Nelson get even better in his second year as a Steeler?
Cornerback Steven Nelson said Tuesday that he can be an All-Pro. I’ve argued that he should’ve been at least a Pro-Bowler last year after arriving from the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.
Pro Football Focus rated his season as the seventh-best of any corner in the league. And the NFL-based stats site also grades him in the 88th percentile when playing in single coverage.
According to Sports Info Solutions (SIS) Data Hub, in 15 starts during 2019, Nelson held opposing offenses to a 46.8% completion percentage on 62 targets. Only two corners — New England’s Stephon Gilmore (45.3%) and Kansas City’s Charvarius Ward (43.2%) — allowed a lower completion percentage while starting at least 15 games and being targeted at least 60 times.
Also, Gilmore — the NFL’s defensive player of the year — was targeted 86 times, 24 more times than Nelson. Ward had 81.
So it’s hard to imagine Nelson being much better than 2019. But perhaps on the few occasions where he is targeted, he might get a few more interceptions. He had just one a year ago. That completely flipped the “boom or bust” reputation Nelson had as a cornerback with the Chiefs. His scouting report there was more of a guy who nabbed picks but also got burned a bunch.
In his first year as a Steeler, Nelson was the opposite. Consistently efficient and quietly productive.
“In 2018, I had four interceptions,” Nelson said Tuesday. “But I gave up a lot. So, statistically, you’d say 2018 was my best season. But last year, I didn’t give up a touchdown. And there were some other small details in the stat line that would make a good argument.”
No further argument needed here. I’d take a repeat of Nelson’s first year in Black and Gold again. Wouldn’t you?
How much does Joe Haden have left?
Based on last year, plenty.
Haden made the Pro Bowl. The 31-year-old cornerback had five interceptions, the most since he had six during his rookie season in Cleveland (2010). Based on PFF’s coverage and overall grades in 2019, they were better than his first season in Pittsburgh (2017) and almost identical to his grades in 2018.
“He’s still ballin’ at a very high level,” Nelson insisted.
Haden did allow five touchdowns. So some Steelers fans worried about regression with age. But his completion percentage allowed and targets against were actually down from 2018.
Will Terrell Edmunds improve?
In two years as a Steeler, Edmunds has 31 starts at safety, 2,002 defensive snaps, and 183 total tackles. But just one interception, one fumble recovery and one sack.
“He’s a good football player. We just need to get him a little bit more ball production. We’ll spend our (practice time) catching the ball, getting around the ball, stripping the ball, fumble recoveries. We’ll just continue to practice them,” Austin said.
That’s all well and good. But Edmunds needs to get better in pass coverage, too. The SIS stats had him allowing 25 catches on 35 targets for an average of 10.2 yards per completion. Only departed teammates Kameron Kelly and Artie Burns had worse numbers.
Will Cam Sutton’s role have any additional clarity?
No. But you may see more of him.
That’s the impression I got from Austin when I asked him about Sutton’s niche on the club.
He praised Sutton’s intelligence, versatility and pass coverage skills. But beyond being a jack-of-all-trades at corner and safety, it doesn’t sound like Sutton will have a specific gig.
“As far as carving out a separate type of role? No, I don’t think so. I just think we’ll try to get him a little bit more of what we did last year,” Austin said.
Sutton has been capable when called upon. He allowed a measly 4.9 yards per target on 26 attempts. Not a huge sample size. But the best of any defensive back on the team.