Full year into new Omar Khan-led regime, plenty of turnover on roster as Steelers head to camp
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As the steward of the position group that experienced perhaps the most turnover of any in recent years for the Pittsburgh Steelers, inside linebackers coach Aaron Curry embraces being a new face among many new faces.
“I think the best part is we are all in the same journey learning this scheme and mastering it,” said Curry, hired over the offseason to replace Jerry Olsavsky. “And it’s my responsibility, for sure, to spend the most time that anybody’s putting in. But to be able to share this journey with a new group of guys has been awesome because we are seeking answers together and getting answers together. So we feel like we are building something together.”
The Steelers’ top three inside linebackers from last season are gone, in addition to three others at the position who finished last season on the active roster or practice squad. The only player or coach back from the 2022 inside linebacker corps is second-year Mark Robinson.
The remarkable turnover can readily be interpreted as a tacit sign the new personnel regime was not satisfied with the Steelers’ ILB play last season.
But that’s not the only area in which general manager Omar Khan, assistant general manager Andy Weidl and director and pro scouting Sheldon White engineered significant changes. The trio, named to their roles last summer, has presided over a year in which 52 of the 90 players showing up at Saint Vincent College for training camp this week were not with the organization on reporting day last year.
The transition leans heavily toward the defense, where (pending how “starter” is defined) there are as many as six new starters from last season. Five of the 10 players who appeared in at least 50% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps from last season are no longer with the organization.
The changes on offense aren’t as noticeable. But along the offensive line, for example, of the eight players projected as the most likely to be in uniform for games in 2023, half were added to the organization this spring.
A position-by-position look at new players acquired since the end of last season:
Quarterback/running back (4)
Competing to start: N/A
Expected to compete for a role: FB Monte Pottebaum
Fighting to make the team: QB Tanner Morgan, RB Alonzo Graham, RB Darius Hagans
An undrafted rookie at a position that returned its entire regular-season allotment from last year, Morgan has an uphill battle. Graham and Hagans are small-college undrafted rookies. As the lone fullback in camp, Pottebaum will be given a shot to replace the departed Derek Watt.
Wide receiver/tight end (6)
Expected to start: WR Allen Robinson
Expected to compete for a role: TE Darnell Washington
Fighting to make the team: WR/KR Jordan Byrd, WR Hakeem Butler, WR Dan Chisena, WR Dez Fitzpatrick
A 10-year veteran, Robinson is pegged to be the WR3 — if healthy. But he will be pushed by a player who isn’t new to the team but would be new to playing in games, Calvin Austin III, whose rookie season last year was lost to injury. Washington could go either way: a significant role or a “redshirt year” as a third-round pick. An elite punt and kick returner in college, undrafted rookie Byrd has a path to the roster in that realm. Butler was an XFL star, Chisena a former Penn State player who excels on special teams and Fitzpatrick a former Tennessee Titans fourth-round pick.
Offensive line (7)
Expected to start: G Isaac Seumalo, T Broderick Jones
Expected to compete for a role: G Nate Herbig, T Le’Raven Clark, G Spencer Anderson
Fighting to make the team: T Jarrid Williams, T Dylan Cook
Seumalo was a coveted free agent signed to start at left guard, and Jones was drafted No. 14 overall to (at some point) take over at left tackle. Herbig and Clark are veterans with NFL-starter experience who provide quality depth, and Anderson was drafted in the seventh round because of his versatility. Williams and Cook were late-spring adds to the camp roster.
Defensive line (5)
Competing to start: Keeanu Benton
Expected to compete for a role: Armon Watts, Breiden Fehoko, Manny Jones
Fighting to make the team: James Nyamwaya
While Montravius Adams is considered a returning starter at nose tackle, the diminishing deployment of that position clouds the designation of “starter.” Watts is most likely to have the biggest role, but second-round pick Benton and free-agent signing Fehoko are more likely to unseat Adams as a player who takes the first snap of a game. Regardless, each of those four figure to be part of the rotation. Jones played four games for the Arizona Cardinals as a rookie last season, and Nyamwaya is a rookie project.
Outside linebacker (5)
Expected to start: N/A
Expected to compete for a role: Markus Golden, Nick Herbig
Fighting to make the team: Quincy Roche, David Perales, Toby Ndukwe
An accomplished veteran, Golden was signed to be the primary backup to T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. Herbig was drafted in the fourth round with similar expectations — at some point. A Steelers sixth-round pick in 2021, Roche is back. Perales and Ndukwe are undrafted rookies.
Inside linebackers (4)
Expected to start: Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts
Expected to compete for a role: Tanner Muse
Fighting to make the team: Nick Kwiatkoski
Holcomb and Roberts were signed as experienced, starting-caliber free agents to take over for Myles Jack, Devin Bush and Robert Spillane. While second-year player Mark Robinson is most likely to push them for playing time, Muse (a former safety) is an intriguing option for passing-down subpackages. Kwiatkoski, 30, is a former NFL starter who played exclusively on special teams for the Atlanta Falcons last season.
Secondary (9)
Expected to start: CB Patrick Peterson, CB Joey Porter Jr.
Expected to compete for a role: CB Chandon Sullivan, S Keanu Neal, CB Cory Trice Jr.
Fighting to make the team: S Kenny Robinson, CB Chris Wilcox, CB Luq Barcoo, CB Madre Harper
Peterson is guaranteed to start the season on the first-team defense … but in what role? That might depend on if Porter, a second-round pick, shows he’s ready as a rookie. If Porter can handle the outside role, Peterson could play nickel/slot. If not, Sullivan is the most likely option there. Neal, an eight-year veteran, figures to play prominently as a third safety. Rookie seventh-rounder Trice and former WVU star Robinson can find themselves a niche. Wilcox, Barcoo and Harper might be running out of NFL shots.
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