Young Players in Pittsburgh Steelers Front Seven Already Making an Impact

In the not-so-long-ago, it would typically take a young Pittsburgh Steelers defender—particularly a member of the front seven—to take two years or more to crack the starting lineup or see a lion's share of defensive snaps. But not anymore.

A combination of roster gaps and the departure of longstanding defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau have forced the Steelers into a change of philosophy. Now, three key members of the Steelers front seven are first- or second-year players. And though there is room for improvement out of all three, these less-experienced players are more than holding their own so far.

Player	Snaps	Comb. T	TFL	Sacks	Hits	Hurries
Shazier	132	22	4	1.0	0	0
Dupree	77	6	0	2.0	0	0
Tuitt	127	5	0	1.5	3	2

The trio are defensive end Stephon Tuitt, inside linebacker Ryan Shazier and outside linebacker Bud Dupree. Tuitt is a starter taking over for the retired Brett Keisel and is a 2014 Round 2 pick. Shazier was the Steelers' Round 1 draft pick in 2014, while Dupree is a rookie and also has a Round 1 draft pedigree.

Presently, Shazier is the Steelers' leading tackler, with 16 solo, six assists and 22 combined. He also has one sack and is the team's leader in tackles for loss, with four. Tuitt has five combined tackles and 1.5 sacks. And Dupree is the Steelers' sack leader, with two, and is the first Steelers rookie to have a sack in back-to-back games since LaMarr Woodley in 2007.

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Shazier, in particular, has played like his hair is on fire through the first two games of the season. He's Pro Football Focus' 13th-ranked inside linebacker and is second in run-stopping percentage, with 14.6 percent of his run defense tackles leading to no gain or a loss of yards for the Steelers' offensive opponents.

It's not all rosy, of course. Though all three have proven talented at their respective specialties—Tuitt stopping the run and assisting in the pass rush, Dupree simply rushing the passer and Shazier stuffing the run—they do have struggles, primarily in coverage.

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Shazier has given up seven catches on eight passes thrown his way for 50 yards, per Pro Football Focus. Dupree has given up both passes he's been tasked to defend, for 59 yards. Tuitt is the exception, but only because, as a 3-4 end, he's had just one coverage snap.

This, however, is an expected problem for a young defender; it's a skill honed with time and practice if it's an unfamiliar one heading into the NFL. And coverage is an issue all along Pittsburgh's defense—it's possible that Shazier's and Dupree's greenness defending passes are magnified by how much the rest of the defense is struggling to do so.

But even with those hiccups, it's hard to deny that Dupree, Shazier and Tuitt have managed to step up when called upon and to serve as the building blocks for the Steelers defense of the future. Circumstances may have forced the three onto the field much more quickly than is historically the case in Pittsburgh, but their youth is not proving to be a liability.