Secondary takes shape in preseason as Steelers mix in blend young, old faces

On the day the Pittsburgh Steelers reported to Saint Vincent College last summer, coach Mike Tomlin took exception when asked whether his team might experience a learning curve on defense given the amount of turnover in the offseason.

“I’ll be very blunt,” Tomlin said July 26. “I’m not concerned about the new faces on defense. They’re veteran guys. They’re smart guys. It’s going to be a non-issue for us by the time we’re stepping on the stage.”

The Steelers will step on that proverbial stage Sept. 10 when they open the regular season against the San Francisco 49ers. And judging by the way Tomlin’s defense performed in three preseason games, he had every reason to be so confident in his group.

Although Pro Bowl players such as T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Patrick Peterson played sparingly and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi didn’t dress at all, the Steelers seamlessly worked in new players — young and old — at all three levels of the defense.

Consider that the first-team unit and the backups who played in the first half of games gave up exactly seven points. This was with rookies Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig getting significant snaps, with a new trio of veteran inside linebackers and with an influx of unfamiliar faces in the secondary, including Peterson.

Preseason success tends to mean nothing once September arrives. After all, the Steelers went 9-8 last year and missed the playoffs after also going 3-0 in August. Still, Peterson thinks there is merit to what the Steelers accomplished this year in August.

“I believe so,” he said after the 24-0 victory at Atlanta. “You always want to find ways to learn how to win. There are ways to learn how to lose in this league. When you find ways, even if it’s a preseason game, and you learn how to win, I believe it comes easier for you throughout the regular season because you’ll find a bunch of situations you’ve seen in the preseason.”

The secondary, which lost starters Cameron Sutton, Terrell Edmunds and Arthur Maulet and former starter Ahkello Witherspoon in the offseason, was replenished in free agency and the draft. Damontae Kazee was re-signed and could share the strong safety position with free agent Keanu Neal.

Peterson was a high-profile free-agent addition, and he’ll start at an outside cornerback spot until second-round pick Joey Porter Jr is ready to take over. Then, Peterson will move inside and play the nickel corner spot. Chandon Sullivan, another veteran pickup, is another slot option.

Given the amount of turnover on the back end, Peterson was surprised the defense didn’t have more hiccups in the preseason.

“Communication went great,” he said. “We have enough guys on the back end that have enough experience and understand how important communication is and being on the same page at all times so we don’t give up any big plays or have guys running wide open.”

The big plays never surfaced in the preseason. The Steelers didn’t allow a pass play not negated by penalty to exceed 27 yards. Last year, the defense allowed 26 such plays. In the first half of the preseason games, when the starters and second-teamers played, the Steelers yielded six passes of 20-plus yards.

“We have a lot of guys who have played a lot of football, a lot of professionals, so it’s easy,” cornerback Levi Wallace said. “Pat P, Sully, they are guys who have played over six years-plus. It’s natural, it’s easy. Communication is easy. A guy like Joey comes in, he’s (like) a veteran already, asks all the right questions.

“It makes our job easier.”

In his second game since returning from a foot injury, Porter played 29 snaps at Atlanta, including two with Peterson also on the field. Porter was called for pass interference late in the first half, resulting in a 7-yard gain.

“I didn’t get too much my way, but I tried to make the most of it,” he said. “I wanted to show coach I know what I’m doing on the field, making all of the changes and corrections.”

Of all the Pro Bowl defensive players on the Steelers roster, Peterson was in the game against Atlanta the longest. He played 13 snaps and was on the field in the second quarter, long after Watt and Fitzpatrick had departed.

“It’s almost like a catch-22,” he said. “Last year, I didn’t play any in the preseason and had one of the best years of my career. This season, coach has a different approach. He wants guys to get in there and get looks and communicate with guys that we’re going to be with throughout the season.

“As many new faces as we acquired in the secondary, we want to make sure we’re on the same page at all times.”