In the ever-evolving world of the NFL, offenses are constantly trying to find new ways to trick a defense and vice versa. It's been a tenet of the game since the first time a team attempted a forward pass.
To combat the differing offensive approaches around the league now, the Steelers have been very cognizant of the kind of players they've added in recent years, bringing in hybrid players capable of doing a variety of jobs or playing multiple positions.
Nowhere is that more evident than in their secondary.
The Steelers list Mike Hilton and Cam Sutton as their two nickel cornerbacks on their depth chart. But they've also unveiled a nickel package -- one with five defensive backs on the field -- in the preseason that includes three safeties. That third safety has been first-year player Kameron Kelly, a refugee from the now-defunct AAF.
At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Kelly couldn't be more different physically than the 5-foot-9 Hilton or 5-foot-11 Sutton.
"(It's) just to get the better matchups," Steelers defensive backs coach Tom Bradley told me. "As we started to evaluate it, there are times when you want to be in the nickel but because you don’t want to get into a mismatch with a big tight end or one in which they’re not comfortable with what they’re doing, this gives us an opportunity to get our personnel the way we want to get it."
It used to be pretty standard that the opposing team's slot receiver was going to be a little, shifty player. Now, some teams -- including the Steelers -- are putting a big receiver in the slot to get a size or speed mismatch. Think JuJu Smith-Schuster, Keenan Allen, Julio Jones or A.J. Green, all of who line up in the slot as often as they do on the outside.
But, as Bradley mentioned, teams also are using a big, athletic tight end in the slot now. And that can be a problem for a diminutive corner.
"The tight ends are nothing but big wideouts, too. They put them out on the back side and you don’t want to see the mismatches back there," Bradley said. "They just body position some of your guys back there. So you’re looking for bigger guys who can do their assignment."
There will be times when an extra corner is needed, such as against the Patriots in the opener, when the elusive Julian Edelman will be in the slot. But there will be other times when the Steelers will need someone bigger.
That's where having a player such as Kelly can be a big help. A cornerback in college at San Diego State, he was a tick slow to play the position in the NFL, something that led to his release by the Cowboys last August.
But the move to safety has given the first-year player an opportunity to not only make the 53-man roster but to thrive in the role.
According to cornerback Joe Haden, Kelly leads the Steelers in interceptions over the course of OTAs and training camp. That's also the way Hilton drew the attention of the team as a first-year player in 2017.
But with one preseason game remaining Thursday night, Kelly isn't content to think his roster spot is secure with cut-downs to 53 players coming for all NFL teams by 4 p.m. Saturday.
"Every game, I’ve got to go out there and prove something, whether it’s a preseason or regular-season game," Kelly said. "There’s always somebody out there who wants a job or is looking to get a job. Every game, I’ve got to go out there and prove myself."
When the team comes up with a specialized package for a player, though, it would seem he's on the right track.
"I hope. That’s up to Coach (Mike) Tomlin," Kelly said.
The Steelers would like to play more nickel defense than they did a year ago when they were in their base 3-4 defense 30 percent of the time, and the nickel 33 percent. The Steelers used their base look the eighth-highest amount of time in the league last season, while they were in nickel less than all but two teams.
The addition of speedy linebackers such as Mark Barron and Devin Bush should help that happen. But the addition of versatile players such as Kelly will, as well.
"I think that (big) nickel really turns out to be a 4-2 1/2," Bradley said. "It’s half a strong safety and half a guy that can get in there and play the run. It just gives you an opportunity. With your nickels, you try to mix and match those guys with what you want to do nickel-wise. We’re blessed. Most of our guys play multiple positions. Everybody, with the exception of a couple of guys, are playing two spots. That flexibility gives us a chance to do some things and not get ourselves caught."
That's what happened, for example, in the loss to the Chargers last season. The Steelers did a nice job mixing their base, nickel and dime defensive packages for the better part of three quarters in that game. But after seeing it for nearly three quarters, veteran quarterback Philip Rivers knew to throw the ball when the Steelers were in their base or nickel defense to take advantage of the matchups. And when the Steelers went to their dime package, Rivers called a run.
"You do need (bigger) body types for that because there are times when they become linebackers in the fit. They’ve got to learn how to fit it and they don’t get a lot of reps at it. You’re guessing pass in those situations, they have to know where their run fit is."
Adding more players capable of both stopping the run and covering receivers and tight ends should make things more difficult on opposing offenses.
