After surrendering 27 points in consecutive games, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense is facing an identity crisis. Built originally under former head coach Mike Tomlin to feature physical, aggressive press-man coverage, the unit is floundering in soft zone looks under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, a structural breakdown compounded by the loss of star cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
The front office's decision to let Porter force a trade to the Dallas Cowboys left a gaping hole at outside corner. With free-agent signing Jamel Dean sidelined by injury, Pittsburgh has been forced to rely heavily on Asante Samuel Jr. and rookie Daylen Everette.
As Christopher Carter pointed out to co-host Ray Fittipaldo on their “North Shore Drive” podcast, to protect
its compromised secondary, the defense has shifted away from its identity. Instead, they are playing cushion-heavy zone coverage that lets opposing quarterbacks release the ball quickly and neutralize Pittsburgh’s pass rush.
Analyzing the secondary's regression, Carter pointed directly to the front-office gamble that backfired.
"Joey Porter Jr. who they allowed to force his way out the door," Carter emphasized. "He is now in Dallas. I think he was targeted twice with zero receptions allowed over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Steelers lost Jamel Dean to injury and they had Asante Samuel Jr. and Daylen Everette out there. And for four straight weeks, the Steelers have primarily played soft zone coverage."
Fittipaldo noted that forcing new scheme fits onto a legacy roster created predictable friction.
"This roster was built a certain way for Mike Tomlin," Fittipaldo explained. "Patrick Graham isn't going to keep every single one of Tomlin's three-four principles, whatever reason you want to give for it, the Steelers should have saw this coming."
Until Pittsburgh finds secondary personnel capable of playing tight-man coverage, Graham's defense will remain structurally flawed, leaving fans to rue the day Porter walked out the door.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Letting Joey Porter Jr. walk is haunting the Steelers' secondary
