LATROBE, Pa. -- Keeping the proverbial lid on the top of Teryl Austin's defense is a challenge that Grady Brown's secondary welcomes with open arms.
The luxury of the Steelers' defensive backs room, especially as a result of the offseason effort put in by Omar Khan and his front office, is the amount of rotations and combinations that can see the field at any given moment. Whether it comes from the base defense or from the ever-popular dime package that includes a dime backer, each role must include calculated movements and the trust of the rest of the pieces to be in their proper positions.
Minkah Fitzpatrick is the straw that stirs the drink. The blend includes key ingredients like the returning Damontae Kazee and Levi Wallace that brought the physical touch to this defense a year ago.
Many new flavors are coming into the mix in 2023. Patrick Peterson is bringing a sturdy base of 13 years of Hall of Fame-worthy experience, Chandon Sullivan is a specialized slot corner who has played next to Peterson, Keanu Neal is a former Pro Bowler who is as versatile as they come, and the cherries on top are the two rookies in Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr.
“All the way from an experience standpoint, starting at the top all the way to the bottom, we have a great group of guys," Brown told me after Saturday's walkthrough. "Guys like Pat, guys like Levi, Minkah. They show up every day ready to work. Guys like Miles Killebrew, I mean, they all show up to work and it’s contagious. You’ve got guys like Joey Porter and Cory Trice, they showed up as young guys ready to learn, excited to spend time around these veterans. I’m blessed. We have a great room and it’s awesome to show up and work with these guys every day.”
The Steelers tied for the NFL lead with 20 interceptions last season, which included a career-best six from the team MVP Fitzpatrick. However, the defense allowed the 13th-most passing yards despite allowing the eighth-fewest completions to opposing quarterbacks. Additionally, the 29 passing touchdowns allowed were tied for the second-most in the league and four shy of Kansas City's league-high 33.
Clearly, a tone needed to shift for this defense in 2023, and the front office made sure it would see that shift through. Only Fitzpatrick, Killebrew, Wallace, Tre Norwood, and James Pierre remain as the holdovers from the Week 1 depth chart from last September.
“There’s some things that come along with being in Pittsburgh that define who we are," Brown said. "Toughness, tackling, bully ball, whatever you want to call it. There’s things that come along with being a part of this organization. Do we tweak things to get better? Tweak things to do things differently? Wrinkles? Absolutely. But, at the core, we’re Pittsburgh, so we have to come in and learn our culture, learn our system of doing things, and make the guys that came before us proud of what we’re doing right now.”
Along with that comes the tone of physicality that had been addressed in a widespread fashion. Bringing in Porter was more than a reunion of a family with a franchise; it was about bringing his length, his athleticism, and his physicality into the fray and allowing for those traits to help foster the desired identity Brown referred to.
“The length is what shows up quickly, but he does have a good combination of length and athleticism," Brown said. "Have to respect the fact that he comes from a football family and he grew up around the game. There’s a level of toughness there. There are a number of things, but I would say those three things stand out to you the most.”
Porter has mainly repped with the second-team defense at cornerback, but he has also seen snaps with the first-team in certain situations. Peterson has played some slot cornerback and safety during the reps Porter took with the first team over the first three practices in Latrobe.
"They (drafted) me for being me," Porter said Thursday. "They know who I am, they know how I play, so I don't have to really change anything about how I play or my style. That's what I'm walking in with, with a lot of confidence like I usually do."
Brown gave an ear-to-ear grin when I asked him about Trice's trajectory as a seventh-round pick. Trice has steadily repped with the third-team defense through his three days of camp.
“I think he’s on that pathway now," Brown said. "I think he was on it at Purdue, and that’s how he got drafted by the Steelers. Just to continue to learn. Like I said, (Porter and Trice) showed up with great energy, with a high interest in learning. I think he just has to continue to do what he’s doing, and what will happen is you go from just learning the basics, you go from just learning the ins and outs of the defense, to now you’re starting to realize the alignments of the receivers, then you’re starting to realize what the formation is. You go from learning the basics to learning the nuances and the details of the game. I think he’s on track. He’s going to be fine.”
Those rookies have a fine mentor at their hip, too, in Peterson. Brown commended Peterson for soaking up the coaching staff's teachings, and for sharing his already heavy base of knowledge with the rest of the room.
“It’s so awesome to see a guy that has made so many plays that has played for such a long time still interested in learning," Brown said. "Still asking questions. He shows up every day looking to be coached. He shows up every day wanting to be coached, and it’s so awesome. Year 13, a guy that’s made a lot of plays, seen a lot of different routes, played against some great receivers, you would think that a guy may say, ‘OK, I pretty much know everything I need to know.’ That’s not him. He wants to continue to learn, he wants to continue to grow, and he shares a lot of information about the NFL game with everybody in the room. It’s awesome.”
MORE FROM PRACTICE
• Mike Tomlin shared that Fitzpatrick has been excused for a few days for a personal matter.
"He has my support," Tomlin said.
Fitzpatrick was not present at Saint Vincent College on Saturday, and he did not practice on Thursday or Friday.
• Additionally, Tomlin said DeMarvin Leal was taken off the field Saturday as he had difficulty breathing, though he added "we don't think it's significant."
Kazee sustained an ankle injury "of some description," per Tomlin, and could miss a day or two. The Steelers practice again Sunday before taking Monday off.
Alfonzo Graham sustained an apparent shoulder injury during a team period, per Tomlin. He will be evaluated, and a timetable for his return was not discussed by Tomlin.
• The defense won Saturday's seven shots period, 5-2.
The offense quickly faced a 3-0 deficit. Kenny Pickett rifled the first pass of the period to a crossing George Pickens in the back of the endzone, but a reaching Pickens could not haul it in. Pickett was flushed to his right and out of the pocket and short-armed Najee Harris near the sideline on the second play. Cam Heyward then batted Pickett's third passing attempt down at the line of scrimmage.
The first point of success for the offense came on Play 4, when Pickett connected with Zach Gentry for a touchdown in traffic. Then, with the second-team offense opposing the second-team defense, Mitch Trubisky found Connor Heyward for a score. On the Connor Heyward touchdown, Anthony McFarland was utilized in motion as a slot receiver.
On the final play of the seven shots period, Darnell Washington was whistled for a false start, prompting Rodney Williams to sub in. Trubisky then completed a pass to Gunner Olszewski near the pylon, but Olszewski was short of the goal line, giving the defense its fifth point.
• Don't be too alarmed about Washington's false start. He earned a couple of first-team reps Saturday and hooked up with Pickett for a 15-yard gain in a team period. He has showed the physicality and desire to attack the ball in the air, which the Steelers loved about his receiving ability from the draft process.
• However, one might be a tad alarmed over the offensive line. The pass rush was constantly in the quarterbacks' faces Saturday. Nick Herbig has looked better by the day, but he is also working against Le'Raven Clark and not against the first team just yet. Elandon Roberts can be credited with a sack during one of the three team periods, but the play was broken down long before Roberts could reach Pickett and cause the play to be whistled dead.
• I did not count a first-team rep for Broderick Jones on Saturday. The first-team reps at left tackle went to Dan Moore Jr.
• Speaking of Herbig, he said he is already picking up pass-rush moves from T.J. Watt. He said he watched Watt used a duck-under move on film, he approached Watt about it, and Watt began teaching him the tool of that trade.
"That's new," Herbig said after Saturday morning's walkthrough. "I learned that from T.J. If you watch him he does that move a lot, and I'll work on it with him a lot. I've been trying to work that."
• McFarland broke a big run in the battle of second-team offense versus second-team defense. On that run, he juked Herbig on a cutback.
• Not that this needs to be made into a massive deal, but Isaiahh Loudermilk earned the first rep at defensive end in place of Cam Heyward in the first 11-on-11 session. That is likely because of Leal's absence, but it is still worth noting.
• Norwood and Cole Holcomb each recorded a pass breakup while covering Pat Freiermuth during the team portions.
• Saint Vincent College was at a 100-degree heat index on Friday, and Saturday featured monsoon-level rain showers towards the end of practice. Tomlin wants his players to be tested by the elements, and I don't think he could have imagined a better scenario for his players to be tested in.
"I just really love what transpired today," Tomlin said after practice. "I really love when we're faced with challenges. Today it came in the form of weather conditions. It's an important component of development. You get an opportunity to develop necessary skills that allow us to operate under these circumstances. You also get to show skills. I called the group up in the midst of it and talked directly to them about it because I wanted them to feel it. Oftentimes when you get weather like we got today it's difficult to stay on your feet in the secondary, for example, and we've got to do a great job of staying on our feet in conditions like this."
