It’s well known that the Pittsburgh Steelers have historically been known for the great defense. Mainly thriving from their front seven. For the last five years the steelers have had one problem in their front seven that has outweighed the rest.
The Steelers Defensive Line
With having superstars like TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith, along with the young Nick Herbig, and the Veteran Marcus Golden, Pittsburgh has one of the best EDGE rooms in the NFL. The Steelers also have a great interior, with future hall of famer Cameron Heyward, veteran Larry Ogunjobi, and promising rookie Keanu Benton, but there is one position that the Steelers can’t seem to figure out.
The fourth of December is a night that every Steelers fan remembers. The night that an injury ended Ryan Shazier’s career. Shazier was the quarterback of the defense and a blue-chip player that Pittsburgh may never be able to replace.
Devin Bush
In the 2019 NFL draft the Pittsburgh Steelers traded up to #10 overall to select linebacker Devin Bush, a promising young player from the university of Michigan. During Bush’s rookie year he combined for over 100 total tackles, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions. It seemed the Steelers may had found their Shazier replacement.
Five games into the 2020 season Bush unfortunately tore his ACL. Returning in 2021, Steelers fans were excited to see Bush back out on the field, but something was off, he wasn’t the same player he was before the injury. In ’21 and ’22 Bush only accounted for 150 tackles and one fumble recovery. After the 2022 season Devin Bush left in free agency and signed with the Seatle Seahawks.
What’s Next?
The Steelers had a carousel of inside linebackers during the 2023 season. Starting out with Holcomb and Roberts, Holcomb broke his leg during the middle of the season. Pittsburgh tried to replace him with veteran Kwon Alexander. Roberts would miss a couple weeks through the season, along with Alexander tearing his Achillies. The Steelers linebacker core was decimated and only left Mark Robinson, a young player from Ole Miss, leading Pittsburgh to sign retired Myles Jack and Mykal Walker for the Playoffs.
With the only linebackers on roster for 2024 being Roberts, Robinson, and Holcomb, inside linebacker is one of the top needs for the Steelers. There are a couple of good linebacker prospects in the upcoming draft, could one of them be the next Shazier?
