Steelers turn to Cameron Heyward to help out younger players on defensive line

The method isn’t as simplistic as one if by land, two if by sea, but if Karl Dunbar wants to make sure his words are resonating with the young players on the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line, he turns to captain Cameron Heyward.

“I think he has always been my Paul Revere,” Dunbar said Wednesday. “He always has been my guy to get my message out.”

As a 10-year veteran and the Steelers’ most experienced lineman, Heyward long has served as the leader of the defensive front. Dunbar, admittedly, has relied on Heyward’s knowledge and communication skills in recent weeks perhaps more than at any other time in his three years coaching the defensive line.

With injuries to nose tackle Tyson Alualu and veteran backup Chris Wormley, the Steelers have turned to a trio of inexperienced defensive linemen the past two weeks to plug a hole not only at nose tackle but also when edge rushers Heyward and Stephon Tuitt need a breather.

Minus Alualu for all but six snaps, the Steelers defense allowed a combined 409 rushing yards against the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys. The Steelers will try to keep the yardage to a minimum Sunday when they put their 8-0 record on the line against the 2-5-1 Cincinnati Bengals.

And they will do so after their most challenging week of preparation this season.

The Steelers are conducting all off-field work virtually because of the positive coronavirus test that landed tight end Vance McDonald on the reserve/covid-19 list and will put the availability of four players, including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, in question until Saturday.

“I’ve just tried to relay the message and make sure everybody is held accountable,” Heyward said. “Understand that when we do good, it’s OK to shine a light on it, and then understand we can still work. In this time, we have to be more communicative and make sure it just doesn’t get lost in translation, that we’re not just saying things.

“I want everything to be meaningful and be able to be an outlet for the guys.”

Entering the season, Isaiah Buggs, Henry Mondeaux and Carlos Davis had combined for 75 NFL snaps, all of which were taken by Buggs in 2019, his rookie season.

Wormley’s trip to injured reserve with a knee injury Oct. 31 earned a promotion for Mondeaux from the practice quad. When Alualu was inactive last Sunday against the Cowboys, that earned the first playing time of the year for Davis, the team’s rookie seventh-round pick.

Buggs started in place of Alualu at nose tackle and played 28 defensive snaps. Davis logged 16 and Mondeaux 15, mainly to spell Heyward and Tuitt. Buggs contributed three tackles, Davis two and Mondeaux one, although Davis and Mondeaux had a tackle for loss each.

Wormley must miss at least one more game, and Alualu’s status is up in the air. He was limited in practice Wednesday. Buggs also did not practice because of an ankle injury.

“Our younger guys have to keep taking major steps,” Heyward said. “Whether it’s good hand work, good foot work, staying in gaps or understanding situational things that come along, all of those things will come in time.

“My job is to make sure those things don’t get repeated. It’s my job to keep pressing those things to make sure down the road that they don’t keep making the same mistakes.”

Having Buggs, Mondeaux and Davis learn on the fly while playing so many meaningful snaps isn’t what the Steelers envisioned entering the season. Still, they have made contributions to wins over the Ravens and Cowboys.

Buggs made the tackle on Lamar Jackson’s quarterback draw on a fourth-and-3 with two minutes left that helped preserve a 28-24 victory. Heyward raved about plays Mondeaux and Davis made against the Cowboys.

“They are coming around,” Dunbar said. “They have been here in the offseason during training camp. I think those guys understand what we want, and they tried to go out there and play to a standard, and I think that is the great thing about having the young guys.”

Dunbar recalled a saying from Steelers assistant coach John Mitchell, who was the LSU defensive coordinator when Dunbar was in college in Baton Rouge.

“He always used to say, ‘If a dog will bite, he will bite as a pup,’ ” Dunbar said. “These guys are starting to sharpen their teeth on getting some playing time.”