For much of the past decade, Pittsburgh’s lagged far short of league average in terms of spending in the secondary. Nonetheless, a linebacker room filled with coverage capable players the likes of Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Shazier, and to a lesser degree, Vince Williams, allowed the team to survive on a heavy diet of zone coverage.
In the years following the tragic loss of a perennial All-Pro talent in Ryan Shazier, Pittsburgh has often struggled to find blitzing and coverage ability, along with takeaway production from the off-ball linebacker position. Devin Bush, a proposed answer to the problem, never matched his promising rookie year production, finishing his Steelers career with 13 tackles for losses, ten quarterback hits, four sacks, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, and 13 passes defended.