Because of minor injuries and some veteran players sitting out the preseason to make sure they're healthy heading into the regular season, Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin didn't get to see his unit compete as a whole in the team's three warm up games for the regular season.
That will change Sunday when the Steelers travel to Atlanta to open the regular season.
With new pieces added to the defense, specifically linebacker Patrick Queen, cornerback Donte Jackson and safety DeShon Elliott, Austin has an idea of what to expect from those veteran players.
But until he sees it all together in a game situation, there's still some unknown aspects.
The front-7, with the addition of Queen to a group that already includes All-Pros such as T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward, looks formidable. The back end of the defense, however, is where a lot of change took place this offseason.
Even so, Austin feels very good about his defense.
"I just think we have a lot of good players, guys that love football," Austin said Thursday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "I think that guys have a good camaraderie. You watch them how they interact off the field. I like how they're coming together. So there's nothing that you know that would make me think differently about that vibe I have about the team."
He'll get a chance to see if that vibe is well founded when the Steelers line up against the Falcons Sunday.
Atlanta acquired veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in the offseason to go along with a new coaching staff that will include former Rams assistant coach Zac Robinson calling the offense under new head coach Raheem Morris.
Robinson brings a Rams philosophy to the Falcons, which means the Steelers expect to see a lot of three wide receiver sets along with tight end Kyle Pitts and running back Bijan Robinson on the field.
"That's what they've shown. That's kind of what we're expecting," Austin said. "We'll be ready if they get into anything else, but that's what we're expecting."
That also would mean the Steelers could have to employ a nickel cornerback in some form or fashion. That could mean the Steelers go to a three safety look with Elliott moving to the slot and veteran Damonte Kazee entering the game as the strong safety next to free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Or, it could mean that rookie Beanie Bishop gets onto the field in the slot.
If it's Bishop, Austin expects the Falcons to test the undrafted rookie out of West Virginia.
"We prepare our guys so that if you're a young guy out there, you'd better be ready," Austin said. "You're going to be tested. If you handle the test, they're going to go away from you. But if you don't handle the test, you can expect it to keep coming."
Perhaps helping to offset some of that will be Fitzpatrick.
A three-time first-team All-Pro, Fitzpatrick went from leading the NFL in interceptions in 2022 to having none in 10 games in 2023, a season in which he was in and out of the lineup because of injury.
But the Steelers also asked Fitzpatrick to do a lot of different things last season, from lining up in the slot to playing some strong safety and also free safety.
With the additions to the secondary this season, particularly Elliott, Austin is looking forward to having Fitzpatrick just playing on the back end again in 2024.
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"The benefit is that I like to have Minkah in the back," Austin said of adding Elliott to the defense. "Minkah can stay in the back and do what Minkah does best, which is get after the ball and make big plays. Really, Minkah saves us a lot of times when there is a big play because he's back there to knock things down. It allows him to play a position that's more natural for him."
And Elliott, a six-year veteran who also has played for the Ravens, Lions and Dolphins brings a physical presence to the defense, as well.
"He's going to play the game the way we like it to be played. He's going to take things to people," Austin said. "He's not going to wait for them to bring it to him. You like the guys in your secondary to have some physical presence about them. Then, receivers don't like to come across the middle. Backs don't feel like they can run and get down there and do things. We like what he brings that way for us."
Austin feels the same about Jackson, a seven-year veteran acquired via an offseason trade with Carolina.
In six seasons in Carolina, Jackson started 76 games and recorded 14 interceptions.
"I'm confident in him because I've seen him play before. He's an NFL starter," Austin said. "The biggest thing is that he's had some injury history. But when you watch him play, you know that you have a quality corner. So I'm excited about watching him play. I feel confident in what we have. It's going to be nice to see everyone together to see how we gel in a real competitive environment."
