When the Steelers lost nose tackle Javon Hargrave in free agency and then didn't look to fill the spot until the seventh round of the draft with rookie Carlos Davis, many wondered if the team was simply punting on the position.
After all, the team played its base 3-4 defense just 29 percent of the time in 2019, even with Hargrave on the roster.
But the Steelers had a plan. They had seen continued growth in veteran Tyson Alualu. They had seen the former first-round pick of the Jaguars in 2010 step in for Stephon Tuitt last season and perform well.
The Steelers had great confidence that Alualu, even at 33 years old, would be capable of holding down the nose tackle position in their defense, even though they hadn't really asked him to play that spot in his previous three seasons in Pittsburgh.
"Tyson, it's not just the teammate he is, it's the player he's become. He's so sound for us. He's given us a level of consistency that we had grown accustomed to having with Javon Hargrave," defensive end Cam Heyward said. "Now to have Tyson in there not only picking up the slack, but making it his own, we're all very glad to have Tyson. Tyson is a guy we all want to see succeed. He's proven us right. He works his tail off. He came in in great shape. It's not easy to go from playing end to nose tackle in a year. But Tyson has bought in. He's a heck of a teammate. I don't think anybody talks about it enough. Tyson has been a guy that has always put team first and we're lucky to have him."
Through two games, Alualu hasn't just lived up to the Steelers' expectations, he's likely exceeded them.
ESPN measures the metrics of how often a lineman -- offensive or defensive -- wins his up-front battle both against the run and the pass. The Steelers are all over those listings, but it's Alualu who is the surprising leader among defensive tackles across the league.
His pass rush win rate of 29 percent is tied with Malik Jackson of the Eagles for the best in the league -- and five percentage points above Heyward, who is fifth at 24 percent. His run stopping win rate is 57 percent, which also leads the league.
Opposing teams can focus on Heyward, T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree and Stephon Tuitt up front all they want. Alualu, however, is proving he's a player to be reckoned with, as well.
"Every week we look to do better and get better. I think I am fitting in well," the 12-year veteran said. "Just having the guys we have on our defense makes it a lot better for me. Whether it's T.J. or Bud coming off the edge, or Cam or Tuitt pushing up the middle, I think teams have to game plan around those guys and it makes it that much easier for me to go out and do my job. That is my focus and what I try to get done."
Mission accomplished -- at least through two games.
The Steelers were so confident in the ability of Alualu to hold down the nose tackle position this year they finally released longtime backup Daniel McCullers at the end of training camp. They signed McCullers back to their practice squad, but he was signed to the active roster of the Bears on Thursday.
It was of no consequence to the Steelers. They've got the nose tackle position filled.
But Alualu isn't really doing anything he didn't do in his previous 11 NFL seasons. The 10th-overall pick of the 2010 draft by the Jaguars, he likely suffered in Jacksonville from the pressure of being selected that high and ahead of other defensive tackles such as Linval Joseph or Geno Atkins, a pair of Pro Bowl defensive tackles taken later in the draft.
Alualu, however, was a productive player for the Jaguars, starting 87 of the 110 games in which he appeared. He was never a big sack guy -- his career high of 4 came with the Steelers in 2017 in his first season with Pittsburgh, but he did have 30 tackles for a loss with the Jaguars.
The move to the Steelers in 2017 to become the team's primary backup to Heyward and Tuitt has been a good one.
The pressure of being the 10th pick in the draft was gone. Now, he could simply be a contributor when called upon.
"I was always confident in my abilities," said Alualu. "I always wanted to be a part of something special. I am grateful for the opportunity. I thank God for where he placed me, where I am now, and I try to make the most of the opportunity."