When the 2023 season started, the Pittsburgh Steelers came into it feeling very confident in themselves. Not uncommon to most years, they felt their defense would be one of the best in the NFL. For the past three seasons I’ve gone to the Steelers home opener and this year the Black and Gold faced the San Francisco 49ers week one at Acrisure Stadium. After tailgating, walking through the crowds and into the stadium the vibes were at an all-time high, BUT there was something different this year, I saw red… A LOT OF RED!!

49ers fans packed the stands and on the field the team drew first blood, and then attacked like sharks in the water while running the Steelers out of their own stadium. Losing the game left us all with a bad feeling, but we later found out that there was a bigger loss that occurred. During the game the crowd noticed Cam Heyward was on the sideline, but nobody knew why. As we now know, that day we lost Cam Heyward for a big portion of the season to a torn groin. Little did we know, losing Captain Cam would turn out to be the first of many key players on the defense to go down for an extended period of time in the 2023 season.

Defensive starters that missed significant time were:

• Cam Heyward – 6 games
• Minkah Fitzpatrick – 7 games
• Kwan Alexander – 8 games
• Cole Holcomb – 9 games
• Keanu Neal – 8 games
• Demonte Kazee – 3 games (suspension)

Losing players to injury is a part of football but the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to have been snake bitten in the middle of their defense. In the latter part of the season the Steelers starting defense trotted out five players that were on various practice squads or even retired in 2023. Yes, I said Starting Defense was filled with practice squad and recently retired players. Teams began to take advantage of a defense that was missing virtually their entire linebacker and safety room along with a Cam Heyward who was basically playing on one leg. The middle of the defense might as well have been a slice of Swiss cheese on a charcuterie board.

As with every new season there are a few new faces. Focusing in the middle, the name that stands out the most is inside linebacker Patrick Queen. Formerly of the heated rival Baltimore Ravens, Queen was a name I was hoping the Steelers would target, but did not think he would be in the price range the team was willing to spend at that position. Patrick Queen is looking to be a game changer in the middle of the defense that we haven’t seen since Ryan Shazier. Queen is a smart, aggressive, fast, athletic, see-ball-get-ball type of player. He is also good in coverage against tight ends and running backs out of the backfield as he’s shown in Baltimore. Coming off a 2nd team All-Pro and Pro Bowl Season, Queen is looking to step out of the shadow of Roquan Smith and prove he can be “the vocal leader, the dominant leader, the guy that everybody looks up to” as he told in an interview with Missi Mathews of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Queen wants to be “The Guy”.

The Steelers have also added safety DeShon Elliot formerly of the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions and most recently Miami Dolphins. Elliot is a physical safety that plays downhill who does not shy away from contact, in fact he embraces it. Elliot was asked by Mathews if he has a preference on where he plays in the defense and his response was “…closer around the box… I prefer to be around the box…”.

Also, Montravius Adams was a free agent and has been brought back to the Steelers. By retaining Adams, the Steelers have a solid run stopper in the middle of their defensive line. Adams is not a high profile player that is a household name but is a player that adds depth and does his job well. Key contributors on the defensive line are Cam Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, Keanu Benton and Adams. With free agents still available, trades being option and the NFL draft approaching, I would not doubt the Steelers could look to add to and/or upgrade any of these positions. 

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Stay Blessed and Stay Positive… “Here We Go”