LATROBE, Pa. -- The success of Keith Butler's third year as defensive coordinator will depend on how well he can equip the Steelers' defense behind the linemen. Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt will lead the charge up front, but the Steelers will need the men playing behind them to play gap-sound run defense and tight coverage against the pass.
Without Ryan Shazier, the linebackers lack the athleticism to run with many of the receiving threats posed by modern NFL offenses. This is why Butler is gambling on the use of more defensive backs to cover without giving up the physicality needed to stop the run.
But Mike Hilton is one of the indicators that such a plan might work. His rise in 2017 showed that the Steelers could use defensive backs in the box to cover, as well as play physical at the line, and is a sign that others can follow suit.
Butler wants speed on the field. While size is nice, Hilton showed he belonged in the NFL in 2017 when as a 5-foot-9 cornerback, he mixed six passes defensed and two interceptions with a forced fumble and four sacks. The versatility to be able to create pressure and be physical while being a cover man takes away a quarterback's presumption of where a weakness might be.
Hilton posed that problem for Tom Brady, the best quarterback at finding weaknesses, when he lined up in the box consistently last year and was still able to make plays. Watch how close Hilton gets to the line and how well he's able to drop back into coverage and comfortably swat the ball away:
Hilton can move in all directions and isn't intimidated from challenging anyone. That's the mentality Mike Tomlin has been talking about seeing all through training camp. I've seen him command that kind of play from starters like Sean Davis and team hopefuls like DeShaun Phillips.
Here's Hilton running through blocks and taking down Travis Kelce on a designed screen pass. Kelce may have a full nine inches on Hilton, but being fast, physical and fundamentally-sound tackling negated any advantage Kelce had last season when they met:
The great thing about watching Hilton is seeing him develop from a man in 2017's training camp who was fighting in every drill to prove he wasn't too small, to being a veteran who the team can count on. He knows it will be a challenge to adapt to playing all over the field, including some deep safety situations, but he's not intimidated by that, either, because he's already proven he can beat the odds.
That versatility Hilton mentioned about defenders not playing where they're comfortable will not prevent the team from matching said defenders with superstar opponents in those moments. Butler showed that in 2017 when he had Hilton guard Rob Gronkowski.
Look at how Hilton is playing the edge and looking for the run. He even lets Gronkowski come off the line clean before he quickly redirects and chases the tight end down, swiping through his hands and forcing the dropped touchdown:
Hilton mentioned a key factor in all of these new revelations on defense: communication. In addition to the physical challenges of playing in unfamiliar positions will be the understanding of players' roles and how they interact with their teammates.
That's why a run-pass-option team like the Eagles is a great test for this upcoming version of the defense that will include formations with seven defensive backs. This will challenge the defense to consider multiple threats and help expose where the weaknesses and most uncomfortable aspects of the new schemes are for the players and give the team a chance to evaluate and adapt to those issues.
Tomlin has not shied away from those moments in camp. Whether it's been forcing Joshua Dobbs to throw for a touchdown instead of run, telling Matt Galambos to tackle the ball, or forcing James Conner to take several reps in the backs-on-backers drill, Tomlin is adamant that he wants his players to face their weaknesses.
Hilton will lead by example for this young secondary in their new plans for how to cover the pass and stop the run. Keep an eye out for communication issues on Thursday night when they're put to the test against a live opponent for the first time.