One of the more positive revelations for the Pittsburgh Steelers during training camp was the apparent quality depth of their defensive line.
Two weeks into the regular season, that depth is getting pushed to its limits.
The Steelers played the final 55 minutes of Sunday’s home opener without the the second-, third- and fifth-most-used and most important defensive linemen. The long-term status of two of their three starters remains murky, at best, for the rest of the season.
“It’s going to take a collective effort,” unit elder statesman and defensive captain Cameron Heyward said. “The group has to pick up the slack.”
Heyward and veteran Chris Wormley, who entered camp as a backup, are supported on defensive line by a quartet of players with little NFL experience: Isaiah Buggs, Carlos Davis, Isaiahh Loudermilk and Henry Mondeaux.
None has more than 21 games of NFL experience. Those four combine for one start, 50 NFL games and fewer than 500 career defensive snaps.
“A lot of the young guys are going to have to step up,” Wormley said via video conference with media Monday. “They’re excited to get into the mix … and we’re all excited to see them step up to the challenge. … It’s going to be a bigger load for the younger guys to carry.”
The youth movement is necessitated by injuries to Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu. Tuitt did not participate in a full training-camp practice and was placed on injured reserve because of a knee injury. He is not eligible to begin practicing until next week at the earliest, but there is no indication his return imminent.
Although the defensive line without Tuitt remained well “above the line” in the season-opening win at the Buffalo Bills, attrition struck further during the fourth defensive snap Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Alualu suffered a broken ankle, pushing Buggs and Loudermilk into much-elevated roles.
The situation Sunday was exacerbated because Davis was not in uniform because of a knee injury. A second-year player, Davis was beginning to pop in his limited snaps as a regular part of the defensive rotation during the game at Buffalo.
Davis’ absence led to Loudermilk — a rookie fifth-round pick — making his NFL debut during Sunday’s 26-17 loss to the Raiders. Mondeaux was promoted from the practice squad Monday to take the 53-man roster spot of Alualu, who was placed on injured reserve and could miss the rest of the season.
“They (the young defensive linemen) are going to have to be (contributors), and they will be,” Heyward said. “Anytime we’ve had injuries before, we’ve had guys step up.
“It’s not like we’re asking you to be a Superman and make every play. You’ve (merely) got to be better.”
Buggs and Davis showed well against the Bills, both getting a pressure of Josh Allen during the Week 1 win. Wormley has been a player coach Mike Tomlin had his eye on from when Wormley was a prospect in the 2017 draft through when he played for the rival Baltimore Ravens. When they acquired Wormley via trade last season, the Steelers viewed his skillset as ideal for their defense.
The Steelers thought enough of Loudermilk that they surrendered a pick in the 2022 draft to net a selection to take him this year. Loudermilk, though still raw, looked the part in camp as a potential future starter.
Mondeaux has been steady over 2 ½ years in the organization as a reliable-looking depth piece.
All will be needed and counted on with Tuitt and Alualu out.
“We all have to step up,” Wormley said. “There’s no rah-rah speech or rallying the troops. We know what the mission is. We understand what we need to get done.”
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Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris by email at cadamski@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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September 21, 2021 at 05:10AM
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Injuries along defensive line will test Steelers' depth as several untested players move into spotlight - TribLIVE
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