Safeties are in line to fill holes
Farrior played inside linebacker at 218 pounds. Shazier was the epitome of a hybrid linebacker with the speed of a cornerback.
“I think football has changed,” Colbert said. “It’s more horizontal than it is vertical. There are a lot of different types of athletes.”
Vertical suited the linebackers more; horizontal is a defensive back’s game.
“When we drafted Ryan Shazier a few years back we talked about that,’’ Colbert said. “The game was changing and Ryan was going to be a specific player to try and meet the challenges of modern-day football, and he certainly did that for us. But I think beyond those years, it’s really expanded more where it’s become a real four-down challenge.”
Tomlin said the safety position has evolved in the NFL to where the lines are blurred between them and linebackers when it comes to pass defenses.
“Not only are they capable safeties,’’ he said of his three new players at the positions, “but in subpackage defense, when you start putting DBs down in the box, several of these guys have had that in their past and we’re excited about looking at that as a potential component of our play.”
The difference between inside linebackers and big safeties like the Steelers added this year is significant in the 3-4 base defense.
“But when you start getting into subpackages and situational football, those lines bleed together in terms of the position those guys play.’’
He noted that Edmunds played free safety, strong safety and linebacker in Virginia Tech’s passing defenses.
“I just think that’s an indication of where football is these days,’’ Tomlin said.
The Steelers did sign an inside linebacker as an unrestricted free agent, Jon Bostic. He and returning starter Vince Williams now can be projected as their starting duo inside. The problem is their shallow depth at the position and the fact Bostic, with his fifth team in six years, has been on injured reserve twice in that time.
Inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons, the Steelers’ first-round draft choice in 2007, remains a free agent after the Miami Dolphins cut him following his one season with them. One prominent Steelers executive said Saturday he’d be surprised if Timmons is not playing in the NFL this season. But the Steelers seemingly have showed little interest in bringing the 32year-old back.
The Steelers use their subpass defenses about 70 percent of the time in recent years. That means their base 3-4 defense is used 30 percent, mostly on early downs or when the offense opens with just two wide receivers.
Those subpackages now could lean on using six defensive backs, one inside linebacker and four along the line, including two outside linebackers. Three safeties can be among the six defensive backs and one of those can play a linebacker spot.
They did not get their inside linebacker in this draft, but they did pick up some safeties who can fill that role as it evolves in pass defenses.