The team is signing defensive end Calvin Taylor and to make room are releasing cornerback Trajan Bandy.

Pittsburgh's defense is so good that it is now considered the strength of the Steelers. With Bush and Barron manning most downs, Williams' role was reduced to 401 snaps, or just 36.5% of the defensive reps. Against run-heavy teams, Williams will undoubtedly eat up some of Barron's snaps, but in passing situations, look for guys such as Gilbert and 2019 free-agent addition Robert Spillane to get more time on the field. The Pittsburgh Steelers announced a pair of practice squad moves on Friday morning. 10 teams that make sense, Tomlin focused on facing Browns, not Garrett, Fantasy fallout: Reasons to believe in Chase Claypool, Travis Fulgham and Brandin Cooks, Bucs' Tom Brady pokes fun at himself while congratulating Lakers' LeBron James, Steelers' defense bringing pressure but being tested by big plays. All Rights Reserved.

While he wasn't a first-round pick, defensive end Stephon Tuitt has proven to be a force when healthy. Watt has 38 sacks and 15 forced fumbles in 50 regular season games. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nfl | pageType: stories | The Steelers are now 3-0 for the ninth time in franchise history. It's really up to me what I want to do.

The Steelers regained their 2020 third round pick after receiving a compensatory pick following Bell's departure. Linebackers Bud Dupree, T.J. Watt, and Devin Bush are part of one of the best linebacker units in the NFL, a group that also includes veteran Vince Williams. Pittsburgh may not have the stars that they once did, but they have given Roethlisberger vastly more options, which in turn has made him an even better quarterback. The pick was imperative, given that the Steelers had to upgrade at inside linebacker after losing Shazier late in the 2017 season. Share this article share tweet text email link Allison Koehler. Rest was the only way for it to heal. Let's take a look. "Felt it get worse through the season and then there's one time, I felt it click in my back and the pain just rushed," said Gilbert, who logged 15 snaps against the Colts in his final game. • 2020 schedule » | More NFL coverage », "It is up to Ulysees to get on the field," Bush said when asked about the second-year player's development.

That's when they shut it down for me.". "That Monday, the next after the game, it was the worst pain I ever felt. While it wasn't perfect, Pittsburgh played complementary football when it mattered most, receiving big contributions in all three phases. He was released late in the process but finds his way back.

Nelson was arguably the Steelers' most underrated player last season, as his presence helped Pittsburgh finished third in the league in pass defense in 2019. He hopes that the Steelers not drafting a traditional inside linebacker to play alongside Bush signals their confidence in him, but he's also aware that it doesn't guarantee him a job. He is now one of the main pieces of arguably the league's best defense. Both players were recently summoned to start when injuries sidelined starters David DeCastro and Zach Banner. And while the Chargers, Giants, and Patriots bid adieu to their future Hall of Fame quarterbacks this past offseason, the Steelers continue to roll with Roethlisberger, who, at 38 and a year removed from elbow surgery, is playing some of the best football of his career. But by releasing Mark Barron during free agency, the Steelers have a hole to fill beside him. Over the past several years, the Steelers decided to do some unorthodox things (for them) in order to give themselves the best chance to win now and in the future. That's certainly not a bad thing, considering that was the case when Pittsburgh won two Super Bowls and three AFC titles with Big Ben under center. Steelers coverage on ESPN.com» Steelers used draft to rebuild Big Ben's offense While none of these players were at the top of their respective draft classes, this nucleus has given Pittsburgh arguably its best depth at the skill positions since Tomlin took the reins in 2007. We lost Barron, and we lost Tyler. Claypool's 4 TDs most ever for Steelers rookie, Steelers OG DeCastro out rest of game vs. Philly, Eagles' Miles Sanders burns Steelers with 74-yard TD run, Steelers used draft to rebuild Big Ben's offense, Bill Barnwell's offseason winners, losers, Steelers' 2020 draft analysis for every pick. Tim Hasselbeck explains why a healthy Ben Roethlisberger can propel the Steelers into legitimate Super Bowl contenders. The acquisition of cornerback Joe Haden just before the start of the 2017 season took Pittsburgh's defense to another level, as did the decision to trade the 2020 first round pick to Miami to acquire free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Steelers made a similar gamble when they signed Nelson, who was not offered an extension from the Chiefs after his rookie contract expired. "The linebacker room got real small, real quick," Gilbert said. He was one of the team’s undrafted free agents signed after the 2020 NFL draft. The former Miami Hurricane is another player who has some potential and could find his way back to the practice squad, depending on the Steelers’ needs. While his stats aren't gaudy, Ebron has already made a significant impact in Pittsburgh, as Roethlisberger finally has the appropriate talent at tight end following Heath Miller's departure five years ago. With their offense set up for the next several years, coach Mike Tomlin, general manager Kevin Colbert and the rest of Pittsburgh's staff decided to invest its first-round draft picks on defense. The Patriots also can't be overlooked, as Cam Newton has helped New England get off to a 2-1 start. Roethlisberger won his first Super Bowl as a sixth seed, after all. How else would you explain the discovery of Chris Boswell, who earned the job as the Steelers' kicker after winning a tryout four games into the 2015 season, after Pittsburgh had lost a primetime game to the Ravens after its kicker missed two crucial kicks. Bell spent his first five seasons with the Steelers before heading off to greener pastures with the Jets. He was diagnosed with a fractured L-5 vertebrae in his lower back in November. Outside of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's return, the depth at inside linebacker is one of the biggest areas of concern for the Steelers. They also do not trade first round picks, at least they hadn't done so since the 1960s. Starting with Ryan Shazier in 2014, five of the Steelers' last six first round picks have made significant contributions to Pittsburgh's defense. "You can't get complacent knowing they didn't draft any other linebackers or anything like that. » Highsmith latest small-school gem? The chronic pain radiating in his hip area and lower back told him something was wrong, but it was also a pain the rookie had felt on and off since college.

The Jets announced on Tuesday night that they had their fill of the former Pittsburgh Steelers running back. It is up to him to put it all together.