As expected, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost defensive tackle Javon Hargrave during free agency and he’ll now be a tough player for the team to replace in 2020 and especially in their three-man front. While the team has talked down the importance of a true nose tackle in their base defense moving forward, the Steelers still used three down linemen enough in 2019 to warrant Hargrave’s exit being a concern about who will man the middle now that he is gone, and especially against the run.
Thanks to our defensive charting down last season by Alex Kozora, we can tell you that the Steelers had 185 total plays against the run in 2019 with exactly three defensive linemen on the field.