Allen not forgotten by Tomlin, likely to push for expanded role
During the Steelers draft party Saturday afternoon, a parent watching his child play flag football on the Heinz Field grass wondered aloud if the Marcus Allen the Steelers were promoting as part of their in-game entertainment was the Marcus Allen, the former Raiders running back who has a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
It was not. The Marcus Allen that attended the draft party is a Steeler. And, while some Steelers fans might not have known that, coach Mike Tomlin has not forgotten. Late Saturday afternoon, in wrapping up the just-completed draft, Tomlin brought up Allen’s name unsolicited in a conversation about his sub-package personnel.
“I feel really good about the men that we have selected,” Tomlin said. “I’m still not opposed to exploring guys that are currently on our roster in the expansion of roles in the development of people in that area. I know that we have spent a lot of time grooming and talking about the development of Marcus Allen as a guy that is going into his second year that should be able to compete for a linebacker position. So, it’s not only these men, but also the development of guys that have been in
our program that makes us feel good about the direction of that overall subject.”
Allen, a fifth-round draft choice last spring, is a 6-foot2, 215-pound safety who only played in two games as a rookie. Tomlin’s reference to playing linebacker was a nod to Allen possibly being in the mix to play dime linebacker in the fall, a role Morgan Burnett played last season.
A hamstring injury in training camp stalled Allen’s development last summer, and he didn’t set foot on the field until a Dec. 2 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Allen played 17 snaps that night when the Steelers were desperate for a dime linebacker. Burnett could not play due to a back injury and cornerback Cameron Sutton, Burnett’s backup in the dime, missed the game for personal reasons. Allen’s only other game appearance came against Cincinnati in the regular-season finale.
In the wake of Burnett being cut, the Steelers have decisions to make at safety and dime linebacker. Mark Barron signed a two-year, $12 million contract in March to be an inside linebacker, but with the addition of Devin Bush in the first round of the draft, Barron could be slotted in as the full-time dime linebacker.
The backup dime linebacker is an important role because Barron could be asked to play in Bush’s place if there is an injury, and the Steelers would need someone to fill in at dime linebacker in that event.
“We’re going to provide opportunities for those guys to show their position flexibility and increase their chances of impacting us,” Tomlin said of Allen and others vying for sub-package roles.
The decision not to draft a safety last week is good news for Allen and other reserve safeties. The Steelers were tied to a number of safeties in the pre-draft process, but, when they traded away their second-round pick as part of the move up to get Bush, they lost their chance to grab some they liked.
Thus, the Steelers will enter OTAs later this month with starters Sean Davis and Terrell Edmunds and only two reserves with NFL experience: Allen and Jordan Dangerfield. Their experience is very limited.
“We’ll allow those guys to sort themselves out,” Tomlin said. “We’re comfortable with the number of people that we have working. We’re also comfortable with the versatility of some of the corners. You’ve seen Cam Sutton play some safety. You’ve seen Mike Hilton play safety on our football team in the past. I’m sure there are others who are capable.”