When he was in Green Bay, Morgan Burnett earned a reputation as a tight end stopper, the guy who was capable of matching up against the opposing team's tight end in one-on-one coverage and shutting him down.
But the Steelers also selected a safety, Terrell Edmunds, in the first round of this year's draft, who could serve the same purpose.
No more will they go into a game with just one plan to match up against some of the league's better tight ends, hoping that idea works -- as they did against New England's Rob Gronkowski last season. Now, they have a multitude of safeties of different sizes and skills to take tight ends out of the game.
We'll get a chance Sunday to see if a more diverse approach works when the Steelers (0-0-1) host Kansas City (1-0) and All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce in their home opener at Heinz Field.
They'll use both Burnett and Edmunds to help disrupt Kelce, who has caught 85 and 83 passes in the past two seasons, with the hope of keeping him in check to allow free safety Sean Davis and the cornerbacks to focus on slowing speedy receivers Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins.
The problem is, like Hill, the Chiefs will line Kelce up all over the formation, splitting him wide as a receiver, in-line or even in the backfield.
"You’ve got to be on top of your game and be prepared for him to put his best foot forward," Burnett told me of Kelce. "You can see it on film, he lines up everywhere. You see that on film. He’ll line up and play receiver. They’ll line him up at tight end. You can put him in the backfield. They want to get the ball in his hands."
The Chiefs didn't do a great job of that last week in a 38-28 win against the Chargers. Kelce was targeted six times in the game, but managed just one catch for six yards. He and new quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn't always seem to be on the same page, at least not to the level Mahomes was with Hill, who had seven catches for 169 yards and two scores on eight targets.
"I wouldn’t hang my hat on that," Burnett told me. "That’s a great player in this league and he’s proven that. One game is not going to define him or their connection. I’m pretty sure if you go in thinking like that, you’re going to be in trouble."
The Steelers largely haven't been in trouble against Kelce. In fact, they've largely kept him in check in five previous meetings. Kelce has caught 23 passes in those games for 241 yards and one touchdown.
So while many Steelers fans seem to be of the opinion the team has struggled over the years covering tight ends, the statistics disagree.
The Steelers allowed an NFL-low two touchdowns to opposing tight ends last season, while their 61 receptions allowed to the position were fifth-lowest in the league. Those were down from 84 receptions and six touchdowns in 2016.
Yes, Gronkowski had nine receptions for 168 yards against them last season, largely with Davis -- then the strong safety -- in coverage. But that doesn't mean the Steelers have a tight end problem.
Instead, they have a Gronkowski problem -- which puts them in the same boat as the rest of the league.
Inside linebacker Ryan Shazier was a big part of the team's defensive scheme to help stifle opposing tight ends and he wasn't available for that game against New England, either. Hence the additions of Burnett and Edmunds.
Edmunds got the start last week in a season-opening 21-21 tie against the Browns, but both he and Burnett both saw plenty of playing time. Burnett was recovering from a groin injury and missed a large portion of training camp and the preseason.
But the Steelers seem pleased with his progress, and while he and Edmunds could continue to split time, it might be the more experienced Burnett who gets the nod this week against a veteran tight end such as Kelce.
Edmunds is fine either way. The Steelers figure to spend a lot of time in their nickel, dime and even dollar sub packages in this game against the Chiefs. The team doesn't figure to play much of its base 3-4 defense in this one, which means all of the defensive backs should see plenty of playing time.
And if that means he gets matched up against Kelce, the rookie is confident he can get the job done.
"He’s a dynamic player, but there’s a lot of dynamic players in this league," Edmunds told me. "That’s what I’m working to become. You’ve got to go out there against the best sometimes and you’ve got to go out there and compete."