The Steelers dove heavily into their offense in free agency and in the draft.
The defense?
It got cornerback Levi Wallace and Myles Jack in free agency and third-round defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal in the draft, while cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon and safety Terrell Edmunds back in free agency, but it wasn't the massive makeover the offense underwent.
The team did elevate senior defensive assistant/secondary coach Teryl Austin to defensive coordinator to replace retired Keith Butler and also added former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores as senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach, so perhaps there's the feeling a fresh approach and new sets of eyes on things will help.
But the fact remains the Steelers defense took a step backward in 2021. After being third in total and scoring defense in 2020, the Steelers fell to 24th in the NFL in total defense and 20th in scoring defense largely thanks to being dead last against the run, allowing 146.1 yards per game.
A big reason for that was an offense that didn't possess the ball as much. The Steelers ranked 24th in time of possession in 2021 -- when overtime games are excluded -- at 29:20 after having an average time of possession of 30:55 in 2020.
The defense has been built to attack. And the Steelers finished second in the NFL in tackles for a loss in 2021 with 94, but that came in 17 games. In 2020, the Steelers had an NFL-best 103 tackles for a loss in 16 games.
Can the team get back to that? Let's take a look at where the defense stands now following the NFL Draft:
Defensive line
If anyone had any doubt the team feels good about defensive end Stephon Tuitt returning in 2022 after missing the entire season a year ago, they need only look at what the Steelers have done in the offseason. They might not have come out and said anything, but teams tell you what they're thinking based on the moves they make -- or in this case, haven't made.
The Steelers had cap space available this offseason -- unlike so many other years -- and didn't sign a veteran replacement for Tuitt. And taking Leal in the third round of the draft doesn't qualify.
"I don't know that there's a timetable," Mike Tomlin said when asked if there is one on Tuitt letting the team know what's going on. "We're comfortable with where we are, from a calendar standpoint, where he and we are all heading."
The team knows. They're just trying to downplay things because they don't want to make a major event of it in deference to Tuitt's situation. Part of the reason he missed the entire season was because his brother, Richard Bartett III, died in a still-unsolved hit-and-run incident.
The team definitely feels good about a return by nose tackle Tyson Alualu, as well. Alualu, 35, missed all but five quarters of 2021 with a fractured ankle. But Alualu has been incredibly durable in his 12-year career, missing just four games before last season, so the expectation is that he'll not only be back but will return to form.
If that duo is back on the field with All-Pro Cam Heyward, the Steelers feel good about their starting defensive line.
Chris Wormley, Isaiahh Loudermilk and Montravius Adams return behind them, as do Henry Mondeaux, brothers Khalil and Carlos Davis and Daniel Archibong.
The problem was that everyone in that group played more than accustomed to doing out of necessity. If they can get back to being complementary players rather than being on the front line, the defense will be better, though the team has high hopes for Loudermilk, a fifth-round pick last year, and Leal.
Linebackers
When you have the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year at the position, your linebackers don't stink. But more is certainly needed that just T.J. Watt's efforts.
This group gets a bit of a makeover with the addition of not only Jack, but Genard Avery, as well.
Jack takes over at inside linebacker for Joe Schobert, who was released, while Avery, who can play both inside and outside, will likely initially start as a backup on the outside to both Watt and Alex Highsmith.
As things currently stand, Avery and Derrek Tuszka are the most likely backups on the outside, while veteran John Simon also could factor into that equation.
It's not a dire need, but if the Steelers added another veteran backup at outside linebacker, it wouldn't be a shock.
Inside, the Steelers are counting on the addition of Flores and being more than a full year removed from the ACL surgery that cost him the 2020 season to help get Devin Bush back on track.
Bush was tentative and looked lost at times in 2021. Part of the reason for that was the knee. The defensive line not keeping him uncovered to run to the ball also was a factor. But the Steelers also didn't pick up the 2019 first-round draft pick's fifth-year option -- worth nearly $12 million -- making it a key season for Bush.
If he can bounce back and Jack is what the Steelers feel he can be after picking him up when he became a salary cap casualty with the Jaguars, the defense has a good chance of returning to form.
Robert Spillane, Buddy Johnson, Marcus Allen, Ulysees Gilbert and seventh-round draft pick Mark Robinson are likely fighting for two, possibly, three backup spots behind Bush and Jack.
Secondary
The Steelers will open negotiations on a contract extension with All-Pro strong safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in the coming weeks and brought back Edmunds on a one-year deal to play beside him.
Cameron Sutton, Witherspoon and Wallace form a solid starting threesome at cornerback.
But could the Steelers add another corner? Bringing back Joe Haden on a one-year deal for leadership purposes would make some sense. He knows the system and is as respected in the locker room as any player in recent history.
Would he have a role, though? That's the question both he and the team would have to ask.
The Steelers did add former Falcons and Cowboys safety Damontrae Kazee in the hours after not adding to the secondary in the draft, and he brings an interesting skillset.
Kazee has experience in the slot and at both free and strong safety, though he has primarily lined up deep in his career.
Kazee, Sutton, Arthur Maulet, who also was re-signed in free agency, and 2021 seventh-round draft pick Tre Norwood give the Steelers a number of options in the slot.
Miles Killebrew also was re-signed, but is more of a special teams player than anything else, while the same could be said of former third-round pick Justin Layne, who enters the final season of his rookie deal without making an impact on defense. The Steelers also gave former undrafted corner James Pierre an opportunity last season, but he was eventually benched.
The position is stocked, but Fitzpatrick, Edmunds, Sutton, Layne, Maulet, Killebrew and Kazee all are only signed through the 2022 season, so even when the Steelers work out a long-term deal with Fitzpatrick, the Steelers are renting most of the secondary, something that's becoming more prevalent in the NFL.
