When a starter doesn't play with the other starters in a preseason game, it's not always a big deal.
After all, the Steelers held a number of healthy players out of Thursday night's 51-34 preseason loss at Green Bay. But when the backup starts and the starter plays with the second unit, well, that raises some eyebrows.
So it was in Green Bay at the nose tackle position, where Daniel McCullers got the start and Javon Hargrave came off the bench.
The two wound up playing nearly equal snaps -- 20 for McCullers and 18 for Hargrave -- but it was done with a purpose, according to Mike Tomlin.
"We were looking at a variety of people. We're not eliminating anyone," Tomlin said Saturday as the team returned to practice at the Rooney Complex. "But I am focused on Dan and Tyson (Alualu) some there. L.T. (Walton) has had more reps over the long haul at the position than some of the other dual-position guys. I wouldn't read too much into rotations and who's working with what group. The reps aren't distributed evenly. They're distributed appropriately so that we can gather information about all people involved."
That's probably good news for Hargrave, who didn't play particularly well in the team's first preseason game in Philadelphia, a game in which the coaching staff kept him out there into the third quarter, long after the rest of the regular starters were out of the game.
The third-year nose tackle said even though he hasn't been told of any grand plan when it comes to snap distribution, he knows the team is trying to figure out how best to divide the playing time among the six defensive linemen it typically carries during the regular season.
And it appears the team is intent on having McCullers in that conversation. The 20 snaps he played against the Packers were seven more than he had all of last season when he was inactive for 12 of the team's 17 games, counting the playoffs. He recorded just one tackle and couldn't even get on the field in the playoffs against Jacksonville despite Hargrave, Stephon Tuitt and Walton all being banged up.
"Fresher bodies will come in handy deeper into the season, not playing so many snaps," said Hargrave, who was limited to 23 snaps against the run-heavy Jaguars because of his injury.
"Injuries are part of the game, so we’re not using that as an excuse. I’m sure they had injuries that they didn’t talk about either. We played, so there isn’t any excuse on that."
No, injuries are not an excuse. But if they can be avoided with less wear and tear taking place in the regular season, all the better.
For that to happen, the Steelers only have a couple of options. They can either keep more than the six defensive linemen they typically do -- something unlikely for a team that seldom has more than three in the game at any one time -- or they can make sure all six defensive linemen can contribute.
"That’s just how it goes in the National Football League," Hargrave said. "We don’t have as many defensive linemen playing because of the defensive scheme we play."
They can't play a game against the Jaguars with three-fifths of their active defensive line banged up. Everyone has to be able to play and contribute.
That seems to be what the Steelers are looking for in McCullers, who was re-signed to a one-year deal in the offseason despite seeing so little playing time last year. A sixth-round draft pick in 2014, the 6-foot-7, 352-pound McCullers looks the part of a run-stuffing nose tackle.
The problem has been that looks can be deceiving and McCullers hasn't played up to that potential. But perhaps seeing little interest in free agency and/or a change in coaches on the defensive line has helped. Or maybe it's a little of both.
John Mitchell, the Steelers' longtime defensive line coach who remains with the team in a player advisory role, was a taskmaster. He yelled plenty and broke down players before building them back up. It worked well over the years, helping the Steelers develop mid- and late-round picks such into longtime starters.
But it might not have been the ideal coaching style for everyone. Enter Karl Dunbar, who most recently coached the defensive line at the University of Alabama.
Dunbar's not a yeller. He's tough and has high expectations. But his style is markedly different from that of Mitchell.
"Were trying to make things as easy as possible," Cam Heyward said of working with Dunbar. "We’re picking each other’s brains and trying to get on the same page."
Whatever it is, it's working with McCullers, who seemingly would make one or two plays per year, even in limited playing time, that would immediately get people's attention. But the rest of the time, he seemed to just be going through the motions.
That has certainly changed, though he still has room to grow if he's going to be part of a six-man rotation on the defensive line
"Dan looks better," Heyward admitted. "He’s still got to improve. I love the way he’s coming off the ball. He’s kicking centers' tails, but he’s got to disengage and get off blocks. That’s the next step. Dan’s a big man. And this is a big-guy football league, so if we get him going in the right direction, it will help that."
And help the rest of the defensive front along the way.
Heyward, Tuitt and Hargrave are still the starters and Alualu and Walton are all but guaranteed roster spots, as well. Now, it's just up to McCullers to nail down that final spot.
"I think he's had a good camp and he's taken that into games," Tomlin said. "But we've got two significant weeks left and two significant performances, so he's still writing that story."