Steelers' Reasoning For Daylen Everette's Lack Of Snaps In Week 7 Has Been Uncovered

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New Orleans Saints 16-10 in a very up-and-down game for the defense. The run defense was excellent and played its best game of the season. Led by strong showings from both Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen, the Saints managed just 18 yards on the ground. Since losing Derrick Harmon, Pittsburgh's run defense has held strong, but the secondary has been a different story.

The Steelers' secondary has been a roller coaster all season, with no consistency. In Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the back end had a solid showing, with Jamel Dean having a breakout game, but against the Saints, Tyler Shough had his way. The young QB completed 30 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown, dicing the Steelers' defense for most of the game. 

No one in the secondary is without blame, as every player contributed in some way with bad plays. This raised a major question: where was Daylen Everette? Everette has played a ton on defense over the past couple of games and has even started one. He notched his first career interception against the Buccaneers after making a great play on an out route, then played just three snaps against the Saints in Paris, France. 

Steelers insider Jeff Hathhorn told 93.7 The Fan that he doesn't believe Everette's lack of snaps stems from unhappiness with the rookie. Pittsburgh has two veterans, Dean and Asante Samuel Jr., whom they feel more comfortable playing, while the rookie sits and learns. 

"I don't look at it as much as damning for Everette as alright, these guys are playing at a good level, we're just gonna stay with these two guys on the outside," Hathhorn stated. 

Samuel and Dean started the season opener after the Joey Porter Jr. debacle took a turn for the worse. With Porter, Everette was expected to see little action outside special teams, but now that Porter's gone, the rookie is next up. Dean has battled an ankle injury since Week 1 and missed a game, so Everette started against the Indianapolis Colts. 

The coaching staff also threw Everette into the fire against the Cincinnati Bengals after benching Samuel in the second half. The rookie has answered the call and been a decent find in the third round, but has been far from perfect. He still gets burned, but his excellent recovery speed makes up for it. After being considered a raw prospect coming out of Georgia, it's reasonable to expect that Everette has played plenty through the first seven games and could use a backseat role. 

Everette isn't the only rookie who's played a ton in the secondary this season, as Robert Spears-Jennings has become a pivotal part of the defense. Because the defense is incredibly thin at safety, Spears-Jennings has essentially had to start at free safety, and he's played admirably. It's not ideal to have two late-round rookies start at positions like cornerback and safety, but those are the cards the team has been dealt. 

Steelers Are Playing Their Cards Right

Keeping Spears-Jennings on the field, even with DeShon Elliott back, is the right call. The former Oklahoma prospect has given the defense a stable presence at safety and is a quality run defender. Keeping Everette off the field is also likely the right move, as the team already has two proven veterans on the roster who are playing well. The cornerback has put his struggles on film for teams to start to exploit. It's best to let him learn from his snaps and keep him on the sideline unless needed. 

The future is bright for the secondary, with Spears-Jennings and Everette showing potential, but both are still young and have more to learn. Even with another rookie starting in the secondary, the Steelers are making the right call by rolling with Samuel and Dean. 

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