Halicke: Will additions on defense result in better tackling?

The Steelers have made it a point to be more physical on offense. But, with the state of the current NFL, the Steelers stand the best chance of competing by having its defense lead the way. In fact, they need to be one of the best in the league if this team is to stand a decent chance of at least ending its drought of playoff wins.

Despite dealing with a number of injuries all throughout the defense last season, the Steelers ranked near the top of the league in some key categories. The Steelers' 27 takeaways were only four behind the Ravens and Giants, who led the NFL with 31 takeaways. And, that's without Minkah Fitzpatrick recording even one interception as he battled injuries throughout the season.

They were also tied for sixth in the NFL in scoring, allowing only 19.1 points per game. After all, the name of the game on defense is preventing the other team from scoring. What might make that number more impressive is considering the fact that the offense ranked 20th in time of possession. That means the defense was on the field more often than it should have been, playing tired far too often while dealing with a slew of injuries.

But, even considering the positives, the defense still recorded some lackluster numbers. They ranked 19th with 115.1 rushing yards allowed per game and ranked 17th with 227.1 passing yards allowed per game. What's more troubling is the Steelers allowed 63 passing plays of 20 yards or more, the fourth-most in the NFL. The defense fared a bit better in rushes of 20-plus yards against, allowing only nine, which ranked 11th in the league. But, three of those runs went for 40 or more yards, and only the Broncos, Chiefs and Seahawks allowed more 40-plus runs.

As it was in 2022, one of the defense's biggest issues last season was giving up big chunks of yards. They'd clamp down on teams once the field got shorter, and that's reflected in the defense owning the league's fifth-best percentage in the red zone.

But, considering the talent and the amount of money spent on this side of the ball, it's fair to expect this defense to finish as one of the league's best. They have the best defensive player in the league in T.J. Watt. He has a productive running mate in Alex Highsmith. Cam Heyward can still be a force inside if he remains healthy. Keeanu Benton could realistically take a big leap in Year 2. Patrick Queen and rookie Payton Wilson, the nation's best defensive player in 2023, were added to revamp the inside linebacker position. Joey Porter Jr. is coming off a phenomenal rookie season as the team's shutdown cornerback, and he has a better player opposite of him after the team traded for Donte Jackson. The safety position got a nice -- and potentially overlooked -- acquisition in DeShon Elliott.

One thing this defense needs to collectively do better is tackle, especially on the second and third levels. The defense was better than league average at missed tackle percentage last season. According to Pro Football Focus, the league average missed tackle percentage was 13.1%, and the Steelers collectively missed only 12.1% of their total tackle opportunities in 2023. If you look at just the second and third levels of the Steelers' defense, taking out the interior defensive linemen, those players were a tick better at 12%.

At inside linebacker, the Steelers should fare a bit better in bringing down the number of missed tackles. Elandon Roberts is a good tackler, missing only 11.2% last season and 12.5% for his career. Should Cole Holcomb make a full recovery, he's a superb tackler. He missed only 5% of his tackle opportunities last season and has a 9.6 percentage for his career. And, for all of Mark Robinson's flaws, missing tackles isn't one of them. He missed only 3.3% of his tackle opportunities last season, 10% for his career with the Steelers.

While Kwon Alexander was a nice find for the Steelers last season, he still missed 20% of his tackle opportunities. Queen is undoubtedly a significant upgrade, though his missed tackle percentage is higher than you might expect. He had a 14.6 missed tackle percentage last season, and it's 16% for his career.

However, there's no doubt that Queen brings much more to this defense, specifically in the ability to cover passes out of the flat ...

... run sideline to sideline ...

... and make plays on the ball over the middle in pass coverage:

In other words, it's a lot easier to live with a player having a higher-than-desired missed tackle percentage when he can contribute significantly in just about every facet of the game.

Like Queen, Wilson is another newcomer that brings speed and athleticism to the second level of the Steelers' defense. But, in college, Wilson was as sure a tackler as anyone in the nation. Wilson's missed tackle percentage with N.C. State last season was only 4.7%, with a career mark of 10.2%. Now, Wilson's got a smaller frame and he's going to be dealing with the size and strength of NFL players now. I'd expect that number to rise in his rookie season, but his college metrics are very promising.

On the back end of the defense, Fitzpatrick is as good of a tackler as any safety in the league. His missed tackle percentage last season was only 6%, way better from his career mark of 11.9%. Damontae Kazee is not an efficient tackler, missing 17.3% of his tackle opportunities last season, which is up from his 14.6 career percentage.

When the Steelers added Elliott, they added much more physicality to the safety position. And, Elliott is a sure, consistent tackler. He missed only 8.8% of his tackle opportunities last season, and has a career percentage of 9.6%. 

it might be appropriate that Elliott is wearing Ryan Clark's old number because, well ...

In addition, the Steelers have been working out sixth-round pick Ryan Watts at safety, and wouldn't you know, he's also a sure tackler:

At Texas last season, Watts missed only 2.5% of his tackle opportunities, and had a career mark of 9.3% over his collegiate career. At 6-3 and 208 pounds, Watts has the size to play safety at the NFL level. And, as you can see in the clip above, he's got plenty of physicality to bring with him.

Cornerback is the position that's obviously most unreliable at tackling, but secondary coach Grady Brown doesn't give his players a pass. Tackling is a huge part how he, Teryl Austin and Mike Tomlin coach up their cornerbacks, and we saw tangible progress in that area with Porter last season.

At the beginning of the year, Porter struggled mightily as a tackler. Despite not even being a starter through the team's first six games, Porter missed four of 11 tackle opportunities, a 36.4 missed tackle percentage. However, Porter missed only 5.6% of his tackle opportunities from the time he became a starter in Week 8 through the end of the season, finishing with a mark of 12.2%, which was better than league average throughout all positions of defense, not just defensive backs.

Accounting for Jackson, it'll be a bit of a wait-and-see approach. Jackson is an overall upgrade over Levi Wallace, but Wallace's 11.4 missed tackle percentage last season is better than Jackson's 14.1% last season with the Panthers, and Jackson's career percentage is 16.9.

However, Wallace also missed some tackles that don't count in PFF's formula by overpursuing or not containing the edge, forcing the ball carrier back to the inside, which is the cornerback's primary responsibility in run defense. That's one of the reasons why PFF gave Jackson a higher grade than Wallace in run defense last season.

But, these players on the second and third levels need to also make tackles in the passing game, keeping receivers in front of them and limiting yards after catch. According to Fantasy Points' Data Suite, the Steelers allowed an average of 5.61 yards after the catch last season, which ranked ninth worst in the NFL.

If the Steelers can become a better tackling team in 2024, they stand a better chance of becoming a much more dangerous unit. Of course, staying healthy would be a welcomed change from what the Steelers experienced in 2023.

But, with the talent that was added this offseason, the Steelers should tackle better in 2024. They can at least control that. As far as injuries go, well, that's something else entirely.