Steelers Have Multiple Personnel Options To Help With The Atrocious Defense

The Pittsburgh Steelers have all kinds of issues on defense. There likely isn't one single thing that can be done internally or externally that would turn the unit around and make them at least average. They are ranked in the bottom five league in numerous defensive categories, including being dead last in passing yards allowed per game. Nearly every team they face the rest of the year has some sort of high-powered offensive attack, and there is nothing to signify that Pittsburgh can slow any of them down at this point in the season. 

In his recent mailbag, insider Mark Kaboly was asked about what changes could be made to get this defense on track. He threw out a few personnel decisions that could lead to some sort of improvement for this much-maligned unit.

"I’d put Jalen Ramsey at safety and limit Darius Slay’s reps," Kaboly said. "I’d find more snaps for Nick Herbig and play a little more press coverage. That’s where I would start."

There's a lot to unpack here. For starters, having Jalen Ramsey take over as the primary outside cornerback despite all the depth there has not made a ton of sense thus far. Maybe the lackluster play of Darius Slay has something to do with it, but the expectation was for the trade acquisition to rotate all over the place, as opposed to primarily going up against a team's number one receiver. 

Whether Ramsey plays more slot corner or safety, he will still have a tough task in Week 9, as he will have to spend a lot of time working against rookie sensation Tyler Warren at tight end. He could see more time at safety with DeShon Elliott going on Injured Reserve (IR) and Kyle Dugger learning the defense after the Steelers just acquired him via trade. 

With that all said, it would make sense to see versatile cornerback Brandin Echols get more of the workload in the near future. With Slay possibly seeing fewer reps and Ramsey taking more at slot corner and/or safety, the door is wide open for Echols. He has not allowed a touchdown yet in 2025, and he's one of the few cornerbacks that has not been gashed with yards after catch (YAC), as he has only allowed 38 YAC so far.

Ramsey, Slay, and Joey Porter Jr. are all known for their ability to play press man coverage and be physical at the line of scrimmage. With that in mind, it's no wonder that fans are furious with the play-calling. The Steelers have played a lot of off/soft coverage in recent weeks, which goes against the strength of the team. More press would definitely be a welcomed change. 

Meanwhile, Nick Herbig has been both an analytical darling and a beast in the pass rush, yet he has rarely seen the field during this two-game skid. Yes, Alex Highsmith is the far superior run stopper, but the pass defense has been atrocious. It's ok to sacrifice a little bit in the run department to make sure they can get to the quarterback quicker and help out this weak secondary.

Steelers Have To Go Against Their Normal Routine

The Steelers are known for being very predictable with their gameplan and play-calling. They routinely get called out for that whenever they lose in embarrassing fashion. That has to stop right now. Even though they seemingly don't adjust much, there needs to be a lot of adjusting for this team to have any hope of turning this brutal stretch around and making the playoffs, let alone finally winning a game in January.

What do you think about all these changes that Kaboly suggested? What would you do? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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