The Steelers' 2018 defense was better than the version that ended the 2017 season. That much is unarguable.
Despite running a gauntlet of top quarterbacks in 2018 -- Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, New Orleans' Drew Brees, the Chargers' Philip Rivers, Atlanta's Matt Ryan, New England's Tom Brady and Carolina's Cam Newton among them -- the Steelers finished sixth in the league in overall defense, including 10th against the pass at 231.1 yards per game.
But there's also no arguing the defense had its shortcomings.
The Steelers forced just 15 turnovers, which, considering they tied for the league lead with 52 sacks, just doesn't add up. And while it would have stretches where it looked like a top-notch unit, it also showed a propensity to give up leads late in games. Their 123 points allowed in the fourth quarter ranked 24th in the league.
That helped add up to a defense that, overall, tied for 16th in the league in points allowed, too many for a unit ranked in the top 10 in both run and pass defense.
So what were the Steelers lacking? And does it matter anyway? Of the remaining four teams in the conference title games, the best defense belongs to New Orleans (14th). Meanwhile, all four teams were top eight in offense.
So it's not necessarily great defense but playmakers, short and simple, that are missing. There are solid pieces on the defense. The starting defensive line of Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt and nose tackle Javon Hargrave was one of the best in the league, helping hold opponents to 96.1 yards per game rushing -- sixth in the league -- while also combining for 20 sacks.
And outside linebacker T.J. Watt and corner Joe Haden are among the best in the league at their respective positions, even if neither was honored with a Pro Bowl nod this season.
But the Steelers missed the playmaking ability of inside linebacker Ryan Shazier. Shazier contributed 89 tackles, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and 11 passes defended in just 12 games in 2017. The Steelers just didn't have anyone capable of making plays like that all over the defense in 2018.
Finding more playmakers or getting more big plays out of the current defense will be critical to the team's plans in 2019.
There also are some pending roster decisions looming that make this a big offseason for this unit.
Corner Artie Burns, the team's 2016 first-round draft pick, lost his starting job to Coty Sensabaugh early in the 2018 season and never regained it. The Steelers have to decide this offseason whether or not to pick up the fifth-year option on Burns, which seems highly unlikely.
He's also due to make just over $3 million in 2019. The team could save $1.8 million by trading Burns this offseason. It's more unlikely the Steelers would release Burns, but a change of scenery could do Burns some good.
Getting him straightened out if he does stick around will be part of the job for new defensive assistant Teryl Austin, who helped turn Darius Slay into a top cover corner in his four seasons as Detroit's defensive coordinator. Austin was hired to help with the cornerbacks, while secondary coach Tom Bradley will concentrate on the safeties.
The Steelers also must make a decision on what to do with outside linebacker Bud Dupree. The 2015 first-round draft pick had 42 tackles, 5.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble to go along with 13 quarterback hits last season, probably the best season of his career.
He's a competent, if unspectacular, starter at outside linebacker and played the final month of the season through a painful pectoral injury. But he's also scheduled to make $9.2 million in the final season of his rookie contract after the Steelers picked up his fifth-year option last offseason.
The Steelers don't want to pay an average starter that kind of money. The problem is that his deal is fully guaranteed for injury, though it can be rescinded. The Steelers also can get that figure lower by signing him to a contract extension or trading him. But the team to which he is traded would have to take on that $9.2 million salary.
Once the Steelers figure out these issues, their biggest need will be acquiring an adequate replacement for Shazier at inside linebacker.
The plan in 2018 was signing free agent Jon Bostic and seeing how the draft worked out. But once they missed out on any of the top inside linebacker prospects in the first round of the draft, they settled on safety Terrell Edmunds, hoping to pair him with free agent signing Morgan Burnett and free safety Sean Davis in their sub packages.
But Burnett was banged up in the early portion of the season, so the Steelers were forced to keep Bostic and fellow inside linebacker Vince Williams on the field more often than they would have liked. And it also forced them to start Edmunds at strong safety and play him a lot more snaps than they intended when the season began.
Burnett did play better late in the season, but it was telling when Davis missed the regular season finale that Jordan Dangerfield started at free safety in his place, not Burnett.
Burnett is due to count $6.4 million against the team's salary cap in 2019, but the Steelers can save $3.6 million of that with $2.8 million in dead money by releasing him before June 1. After June 1, those savings climb to $5 million with just over $1 million in dead cap space.
In terms of the other things the Steelers need, while the starting defensive line is more than solid, backups Tyson Alualu, Daniel McCullers and L.T. Walton are all headed for free agency.
Acquiring fresh blood behind the starters is a must. Alualu was not nearly as effective this season as he was in 2017, while McCullers and Walton just aren't NFL-caliber players.
Adding at least one veteran free agent, such as the Giants' Mario Edwards, the Jets' Henry Anderson or Allen Bailey of the Chiefs would improve the line depth. Titans backup nose tackle Bennie Logan also would be a nice addition.
The Steelers have some similar issues at outside linebacker. Watt and Dupree, assuming he's back, return as starters, but primary backup Anthony Chickillo is an unrestricted free agent. He'd be better served being the No. 4 outside linebacker and a special teams contributor, but could be brought back to provide depth.
Promising rookie Ola Adeniyi has shown some flashes as a pass rusher, but the undersized college defensive end isn't adept at dropping into coverage and drew several penalties in the preseason. He also missed half his rookie season with a hamstring injury, but could find himself in the mix as the primary backup in 2019.
At inside linebacker, the Steelers quickly learned the combination of Williams and Bostic wasn't competent in coverage and used L.J. Fort in that role in their quarters package with either Burnett or Cameron Sutton.
But Fort also is headed for unrestricted free agency and, at 29, he might be better suited to serve in a special teams role, where he excels.
The Steelers will once again go into the draft looking to improve their inside linebacker spot, but there are some solid free agency options available.
Philadelphia's Jordan Hicks is at the top of the pie-in-the-sky wishlist, but he'll command big money if the Eagles allow him to hit the open market. So will C.J. Mosley of the Ravens.
The Chargers' Denzel Perryman might be a better target, though he's coming off a knee injury.
Sutton could be in the mix with Burns, if he returns, to replace Sensabaugh, an unrestricted free agent, at cornerback opposite Haden. But Sutton also could be in the mix at slot corner, where Mike Hilton struggled in the second half after a solid first season and a half in that role.
Injuries might have caught up with the diminutive Hilton in the second half of 2018. A bounce-back season by Hilton in 2019 would be very welcome, as it would allow Sutton to play on the outside.
Sensabaugh was solid, if unspectacular, after wresting the starting job from Burns. Most importantly, he didn't blow any assignments, which seems to be a continuing issue with Burns. But Sensabaugh will turn 31 during the 2019 season, so bringing him back on a long-term deal seems unlikely. And he played well enough that there's a good chance another team will offer him one.
If the Steelers don't add another corner early in the draft, signing a veteran such as Ken Crawley from New Orleans or Darqueze Dennard of Cincinnati could also add to that competition. Both are coming off sub-par seasons, but have played well in the past.
At safety, Davis and Edmunds are young starters who should improve. Davis played well in his first season at free safety after moving over from the strong side. He didn't allow a lot of passes over his head -- the Steelers cut their 40-yard pass plays in half from 14 in 2017 -- but he also produced just one interception.
Edmunds also produced just one interception in his rookie season, but got better as the season wore on. He and Davis have both shown solid ball skills, so more interceptions could be coming.
The question will be if they will be permitted to be more aggressive on the back end in 2019. The Steelers were so concerned about not allowing the big play that it took away from some of their play on the ball. But with Davis and Edmunds heading into their second year together, that should change.
