The Steelers are set on their defensive line in terms of starters with Cameron Heyward, Javon Hargrave and Stephon Tuitt making up the team's best defensive unit.
What they weren't going to have once free agency began next month was any depth, as all three of the backups who were on the team in 2018 were headed for free agency.
The team took care of that Friday, signing veteran Tyson Alualu to a two-year contract to keep him in Pittsburgh,
Alualu, who turns 32 in May, has been a solid backup for the Steelers the past two years after coming over from the Jaguars as a free agent. In 31 games the past two seasons -- seven starts -- he has 61 tackles and four sacks while playing mostly in a rotation.
Alualu has missed just three games in his nine-year career, recording 320 tackles and 21.5 sacks in 141 games.
A former first-round draft pick of the Jaguars, Alualu provides a veteran depth piece for the Steelers. His re-signing helps alleviate what could have been a major issue for the team in free agency.
Fellow backups L.T. Walton and Daniel McCullers also are headed for unrestricted free agency. Neither Walton nor McCullers are expected to be priorities to re-sign. The Steelers will now look to fill out the line through the draft and free agency.
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