The Pittsburgh Steelers have always been known for having a great defense.
Back in the days of the steel curtain, Pittsburgh has always been a stingy defense.
But, this season, they need their defense to play at a high-level more than ever.
The Steelers will be entering the season without Ben Roethlisberger under center for the first time since 2004.
Some younger Steelers fans may not know a life without Big Ben leading the team.
But, now the Steelers have decided to go with Mitch Trubisky at quarterback.
Trubisky was once the second-overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.
But, his time in Chicago did not go as planned and he ended up not getting resigned by them.
After spending one season as the backup of the Buffalo Bills, Trubisky is back in a starting role.
But, for how long will he keep the job?
The Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett in the first round of this past NFL draft.
Kenny Pickett game winning TD in his NFL debut 🔥
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/J7SXFDzxrK— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) August 14, 2022
Pickett showed some really good things in the preseason, but the Steelers must feel he is not ready to start.
You do not draft a QB in the first round to have him sit and watch all season.
Especially when the starter is not very good.
It is not if but when will Pickett take over for Trubisky at QB.
But, with any young QB, a good defense will prove vital for the Steelers this year.
Stout Defense
The Steelers’ defense is once again expected to be good in 2022.
They have a great defensive head coach, Mike Tomlin, who has not had a losing season in his coaching career.
Also, they have the reigning defensive player of the year in T.J. Watt.
Five years ago today, @_TJWatt had two sacks in his NFL debut! Another dominant season in store for the DPOY?
📺: #PITvsCIN— Sunday 1pm ET on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/fK7vaWAizI pic.twitter.com/1aEE6HNCvU— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2022
This defense will need to be close to elite for the Steelers to have a chance to compete this season.
Having a defense that can create turnovers and give their offense a short field is crucial.
Especially for a Pittsburgh team that will have a rookie QB under center.
Allowing Pickett to operate using the whole field and not backed up in his endzone is the winning formula.
This Pittsburgh defense had 22 takeaways (tied 14th in NFL) last year and was terrible against the run.
They gave up the most rushing yards per game in the NFL with 146.1.
If that keeps up the Steelers will have no chance in 2022.
They added linebacker, Myles Jack, to their defense along with poaching Larry Ogunjobi from their division rival Bengals.
Ogunjobi recorded seven sacks last year and should help out in run defense.
Also, 304lb Tyson Alualu is back after only playing two games in 2021.
That size in the middle of your defense is always good against the run.
Plus, they still have Cameron Heyward along with the aforementioned Watt.
While their defensive depth chart might not be as strong as in years past they still are good enough to be top-10 in the league.
Playing in the AFC North is a difficult task.
Having to face Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson twice this season will certainly test that defense.
But, they had to face those same teams last year and were able to make the playoffs as the last wild-card team.
This Steelers’ defense will have a lot of pressure on them to keep their team in the game while Trubisky is at QB.
But, once Pickett is ready he could help lead this team back to the playoffs just like Roethlisberger did in his rookie season back in ’04.
NEXT: Steelers Share A Nice Dwayne Haskins Tribute