When Keith Butler said the Steelers haven't made any decisions about who will be the team's replacement at free safety for Mike Mitchell, many people probably rolled their eyes.
How could the team not have an idea of what it wants to do at free safety?
Well, take Butler's word for it.
"We haven’t found that yet," Butler said. "We’ll wait and see when we get into camp. We have our thoughts. But I don’t think you make a decision until you see everyone in pads."
Butler isn't kidding. The players haven't been told of the team's plans at free safety, either. Sean Davis, Morgan Burnett, Terrell Edumunds and others rotated through the spot throughout the Steelers' recently completed offseason program -- though Edmunds, the team's top draft pick, would seem to be a longshot to start.
Even the players haven't figured out who the free safety will be.
"I'm putting myself on display," Davis told me after the Steelers completed their final practice of minicamp last Thursday. "I can play high. I can play low. They know I can play low. Being able to play left and right is kind of cool. I'm getting the best of both worlds. The coaches are going to look at the film, chop it up and tell us what the plan is when we get to Latrobe."
Davis would seem to be the best suited of the bevy of safeties the Steelers now have on their roster to fill the spot. Though he's entering just his third season, he has 25 career starts under his belt. But all 25 have come at strong safety, or, as he put it, "down low."
If he's moved to free safety, he would wind up playing a lot more deep center field, a spot with different responsibilities.
"Oh yeah, for sure," Davis told me. "You're the last man back there. You have to know where the weaknesses are in the defense, where the possible threats are, so I feel like you've got to do a little more (diagnosis)."
In that regard, Burnett, a nine-year veteran who played both free and strong safety for the Packers before signing as a free agent with the Steelers in the offseason, might have the upper hand.
But the Steelers also seem intent on using Burnett in another manner in which he was employed in Green Bay last season -- as a linebacker in nickel and dime packages. And at this point in his career, Burnett might not be able to cover the ground that the younger, faster Davis can.
"I feel like I can cover a lot of ground, but shoot, I like covering people too," Davis told me. "Hopefully, the coaches can narrow it down to what they really want, and then I can own it. They can specify what they really want, and we can do it."
But, Butler noted the Steelers also are looking for a capable tackler on the back end of the defense, as well. And despite the fact he led the Steelers with 92 tackles last season -- and three interceptions -- Davis missed more than his share of them. Pro Football Focus had him for 21 missed tackles last season, though that number can be highly discretionary.
That's where Burnett shines. The same ratings had him missing only two tackles last season in Green Bay.
Perhaps that's where some of the trepidation comes from Butler in making a decision now about the free safety spot. Per the rules of the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement, there is no contact permitted in offseason programs. But once the Steelers get to training camp July 25 at Saint Vincent College, there will be plenty of live tackling.
As new defensive backs coach Tom Bradley said last week, the Steelers will tackle even more than they have before at training camp. The Steelers have had live tackling as part of their practices at Saint Vincent College since 2013, and are one of the few teams that do it.
Now, they'll do it more.
"Yes, absolutely," Bradley said. "Anytime you’re playing defense, there’s always things you want to eliminate. Eliminate big plays and missed tackles, you got a chance to be pretty good."
That's fine with Davis. He wants to be great. The 2016 second-round draft pick knows this is a big year for him. He's not a bright-eyed young guy any longer. He can't lean on Mitchell for film study, something he did a great deal of in his first two seasons.
"I definitely learned a lot from him," Davis said of Mitchell. "He took me under his wing, showed me how to study, how to break film down. I'm definitely thankful for that. I'm thankful for two years of that. But now it's my turn. I've got to take over and move forward."
It's a big year for Davis.
"Yeah, it is," Davis told me. "This is the year."