The Steelers knew going into the 2017 regular season that of all their position groups, inside linebacker was going to be the most top-heavy. While it had the jewel of the defense in Ryan Shazier and one of the team's hardest hitters in Vince Williams, their depth lacked with only Tyler Matakevich and L.J. Fort.
When Shazier's injury took him out of the rotation, the Steelers realized just how profound that depth problem was. But when Matakevich was lost in the same game as Shazier and the Steelers scrambled to bring back Sean Spence, the unit held on by a string through the home stretch of the season.
We take a look at the year's performance from the group:
Tyler Matakevich
Matakevich has been exactly as advertised when he was selected in the last round of the 2016 NFL draft. He's gritty and physical with an understanding of where he's supposed to be as a linebacker.
But he's slow. Very slow. Matakevich struggles to move from gap to gap and close down distances between runners and linemen. That problem becomes even more obvious against the pass, where Matakevich was at the mercy of faster running backs and tight ends.
Between his matchup problems and his injury issues, he only saw 60 snaps on the season, just 20 more than James Harrison, which was only 6.12% of the total defensive plays on the season.
Matakevich will be a cheap depth player for the next two years of his rookie contract, so he'll be good for that. But the Steelers cannot afford for him to be an immediate replacement option in 2018 unless he shows significant improvement.
L.J. Fort
Fort is distinctly opposite of Matakevich. He's less consistent with his assignments and gets lost within the scheme more often than he should. He's an undrafted free agent who got his start with the Browns in 2012, and he's shown reasons why he was passed on in his draft.
His best quality is his speed while moving in space and covering against the pass. When he's in man coverage and has to make simple instinct plays, Fort is a solid player.
Take his pass defense against Blake Bortles in the playoffs for a big third-down stop. Fort flies out to cover Mercedes Lewis to the flat. But when Bortles breaks the pocket and Lewis starts to work up the sideline, it puts Fort on an island that forces him to choose between stopping a mobile quarterback or covering an obvious receiving option.
Fort manages to break down and challenge Bortles just enough to force the throw to Lewis, but then is able to break back and deflect the pass:
That's where Fort can be at his best, but the problem with being an inside linebacker is that there are many more circumstances than just being able to make straightaway plays with your speed in space.
Fort has problems covering his proper gap assignments and problems disengaging with blockers. When you're working your way through the middle of a 3-4 defense against offensive linemen trying to stop running backs at the point of attack, there's a lot more needed than what Fort has shown on film.
Sean Spence
While Spence was better than Fort or Matakevich as a starter, it was primarily because of his knowledge of how to work in a 3-4 defense. He doesn't have the speed to cover in space and isn't going to be able to beat out physical linemen at the point of attack.
His shining moment for the Steelers came when he was the primary reason for the team's first interception of Tom Brady since Chris Hope picked him off in 2005.
That play embodied what Spence brought to the table by being able to play his assignment and work within the team. Watch how Spence drops back in coverage into the middle of the field. That's a typical Cover 1 zone where Spence has to patrol the middle of the field and figure out what Brady is doing with a spread offense.
Spence sits in his spot and realizes that he has to help Williams covering James White on a drag route. When he does this, he cuts off White at the primary point of when a quarterback wants to hit a receiver on a drag route, right as he crosses the center.
By doing that, he takes away Brady's primary read, and forces Brady to hold onto the ball. Javon Hargrave creates pressure that forces a bad pass from Brady and the result is an interception by Williams:
Spence set that play up by knowing where and when to be for his job. But the problem is those moments when his instincts of how to work in a 3-4 scheme pay off in a big way are few and far between. Spence wasn't with a team for eight weeks in 2017 because that is the biggest contribution he can bring to a defense.
The Steelers need athletic linebackers who can switch between coverage, pass rushing and taking on blockers in the run game. Spence doesn't do enough of that, which is why he won't be a priority for the team to keep around in 2018 unless they are out of options like they were in 2017.
Knowing Kevin Colbert, that probably won't happen again.
Vince Williams
Williams was an upstart player for the Steelers again in 2017. When he burst onto the scene as a rookie alongside Lawrence Timmons in 2013, Williams showed that while he was young and raw, he was also talented and physical. Williams' strength comes at the point of attack both in engaging blockers and taking on running backs in the hole.
His 7.5 sacks were a career high and added an extra presence to the Steelers' pass rush. Keith Butler felt comfortable placing Williams all around the box as a pass rusher, seeking any opportunity to match him up with a running back who was stuck in pass protection. Williams was the Steelers' best at the 'backs-on-backers' drill during training camp and it spawned some of his best highlights in 2017.
Check out how he completely bowls over Kareem Hunt in order to sack Alex Smith:
But that part of Williams' game was already known. What he showed more flashes of this season was his ability to cover and move in space. Williams has worked to diversify his skill set and present multiple threats to an offense. Watch how he matches up with White on this pass play against the Patriots as White runs a delayed route out of the backfield.
White initially sets up as if he's in pass protection, something the Patriots know Williams is hoping to get because that would be a matchup in his favor. But when White immediately breaks into a route and puts Williams into a chase, Williams recovers and manages to break up the very look Brady was hoping to exploit:
Williams earned his keep in 2017 and his place as a starter for 2018. But with the Steelers looking for answers at depth for the position and a starter to work alongside Williams, it looks like he will have to endure at least one draft pick and a free agent who will be added to the Steelers' roster at the start of next season.
He's been up to the task throughout his career with the Steelers. Expect him to be working throughout this offseason as he'll be in a contract year with the Steelers.
Ryan Shazier
I've focused a lot on Shazier with this series throughout the season between his merits and all the different ways the Steelers had to cover up for his absence. Every time I spoke with Shazier during the season, I knew I would get a full response that encompassed not only his efforts but also where he fit into what the Steelers' plans were that day.
Several plays exemplified how great of a player Shazier can be, but his interception of Jacoby Brissett captured many different elements of what he brings to the table. Shazier was on a blitz call up the middle to pressure Brissett, but his path was obstructed by Bud Dupree and he had to figure out another plan.
Here's what he said to me after the game when I asked him about the play:
“When I couldn’t find a lane to blitz through, I knew that Jake Doyle is one of Brissett’s main targets,” Shazier said. “Based off of film study, I knew Jake Doyle got a lot of catches on check-releases and things like that. Once I saw him slipping out a little bit, I realized Brissett was going to him. I was in position to make a tackle, but when a play presents itself you just have to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Forget the quickness, forget the ball skills and forget the physical aspect of what Shazier did on the play, because he combined those talents with his ability to be a student of the game.
That combination of merits made for a great performance in the games Shazier was available in 2017. Despite missing the final four games of the season, Shazier led all NFL linebackers in passes defensed and interceptions.
While the Steelers cannot afford to operate under the assumption that Shazier will be back anytime soon, counting him out of any future equation would be underestimating him.
STATE OF THE UNIT
Without Shazier, this unit is in a hard spot without reinforcements before the next season. Williams is a solid starter, but they'll need another who can work alongside him in 2018, as well as depth players who can step up immediately and make the drop in talent marginal rather than the glaring plunge the Steelers saw in 2017.
If they ever get Shazier back, this group is one more playmaker from being one of the best in the NFL. But that's why this offseason is a serious crossroads for where the defense may be headed in the coming seasons. This position is the Steelers' most important need this offseason, so expect new, and maybe some old, faces to add to the lineup.
FINAL GRADE: B
Dale Lolley's Stock: Shazier was in the running for NFL Defensive Player of the Year before his injury. Now, the Steelers face the task of attempting to replace him. Williams was a more-than-adequate replacement for Lawrence Timmons, but once he wasn’t in there with Shazier, it showed some of his limitations. Matakevich, in my opinion, is little more than a special teams player -- a good one -- but a special teams player nonetheless. Spence obviously wasn’t the answer, while Fort was still lost as an every-down player, which says something about his long-term prognosis. This unit needs at least two new bodies, or a new one and an old one when Timmons is released, as expected, by Miami.