The Steelers have battled depth issues at outside linebacker all season long as they've suffered a plethora of injuries and have had to adjust the way they rush the quarterback and stymie the run. But, the addition of Preston Smith at Tuesday's trade deadline and the imminent return of Nick Herbig from a hamstring injury that he suffered against the Cowboys, couldn't come at a better time.
Through their first eight games of the season, despite suffering those injuries, the Steelers have put together the NFL's fourth-best rushing defense, allowing just 90.5 yards per game. However, they've also faced the league's three worst rushing offenses and all eight of their opponents are near the bottom half of the league in that category.
That will change in the second half of the season as the Steelers play the NFL's top three rushing offenses and it starts this weekend with the Commanders' three-headed monster.
Brian Robinson is the lead back and has rushed for 461 yards and six touchdowns on 101 carries while Austin Ekeler has tallied 282 yards and two touchdowns on 50 carries but is also dangerous as a receiver out of the backfield. However, what makes the Commanders' offense truly dangerous is rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels' running ability. He's rushed for 459 yards and four touchdowns on 82 carries while averaging 5.6 yards per carry.
"We're going to have our challenges with that guy because he can run it, he can throw it and he can make off-schedule plays," Teryl Austin said. "He can do kind of all the stuff you want a quarterback to be able to do."
Austin added: "It is very taxing because, in addition to him running, you have him running around the pocket. Their run game is really good. We're going to be chasing running backs, chasing receivers, chasing him. It does tax you. It works the big guys. We're going to have to do a good job with our rotation, trying to keep guys fresh as best we can."
That's where the outside linebacker depth comes into play. Three weeks ago, it would've been a bigger challenge as just T.J. Watt, Jeremiah Moon, Ade Ogundeji and Eku Leota were active with the final two being practice squad elevations. Now, the Steelers will have Alex Highsmith, Smith and possibly Herbig -- he's registered two limited practices this week but told me before the bye week: "I'm ready." So, it's still up in the air whether he'll play or not.
Either way, the priority for this weekend is setting the edge and containing Daniels and his group of running backs. That falls on the outside linebackers. With the addition of Smith, the Steelers will have two capable groups to rotate in and out of the game, which will bring more of a balance to their pass rush and run defense
"When you start losing guys, T.J. is really your only guy that has a big resume as a rusher, that affects it," Austin said. "When you have other guys opposite of him, then I think that helps us go. I don't think it will change how we rush; it will change the fact that we have more depth and be able to rush probably more quality depth and being able to rush better with others."
Moon, Ogundeji and Leota didn't do much defensively during their time on the field -- they've tallied six tackles in five combined games -- so teams were able to focus on Watt consistently. Smith has 10 years of experience and is the type of pass rusher and run defender you can't forget about. So even if Herbig doesn't play, Smith can rotate in and spell Watt and Highsmith as much as possible.
During the first nine seasons of his career, when he played in a 3-4 system, Smith tallied 66 sacks and 411 tackles, 69 of which went for a loss. However, the Packers switched from a 3-4 to a 4-3 this season under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and Smith has seen a slight drop off in production as he's only registered 2.5 sacks and 19 tackles.
"We bring in a guy that has a distinct resume in this league," Austin said. "He's been a good player in a 3-4 system, he can set edges and he can rush the quarterback. We're happy with his arrival. We'll see what we do with him as he gets acclimated to us. We do know we have a varsity performer, as Mike (Tomlin) likes to call him."
However, there is always the question of how quickly someone can jump on "the moving train," as Tomlin likes to say. With Smith's experience of playing in a 3-4 system, Austin said he didn't think it would be much of a transition for the veteran edge rusher.
"I think the biggest thing for him, like most guys, veterans, is getting in the system, learning the terminology, how we do things here. The sooner he gets comfortable with that, the more and sooner we'll be able to play him," Austin said.
Smith, who joined the Steelers for his first practice on Wednesday, said he already felt comfortable being back in a 3-4 system and it was like "riding your favorite bike again."
The Commanders have the best running offense the Steelers have faced this year. They average 163.9 yards per game and lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns (15) but while the Steelers wouldn't have been equipped to handle this challenge three weeks ago, they are now.
Omar Khan came through at the perfect time.
