2023 Steelers Training Camp Preview: The Safeties
It’s hard to believe but the Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 Training Camp is right around the corner. As we countdown the days until camp begins, SCU will highlight each position group detailing the players who will be competing for a spot on the Steelers’ final 53-man roster at the end of this Summer.
A position of stability over the last few seasons gets a small makeover in part to losing Terrell Edmunds to the Philadelphia Eagles during free agency.
For critics, that means the Steelers could upgrade at the position, however, they stood pat with one of their free agent acquisitions from last season presumably moving into a starting role. As for Edmunds’ counterpart, well, he’s a perennial All-Pro who is a difference maker in every sense of the word.
Let’s have a look at the cast of players who will roam the remainder of the Steelers secondary this upcoming season.
Minkah Fitzpatrick
With Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt on the same roster, it’s difficult to call any one player the “heart and soul” of the Steelers defense, yet, Fitzpatrick is part of the pulse that keeps that side of the ball ticking.
Fitzpatrick kicked off his 2022 with a bang, picking off Bengals QB Joe Burrow for a touchdown in Week 1 and amassing 10 solo (yes, solo) tackles in the same game.
From that point forward Minkah would pick off five more passes throughout the season, on his way to being named an All-Pro for the third time as a Steeler in four years since the team traded for him.
The 26-year-old continues to impress and is only now entering what many would consider prime NFL years, so the sky is the limit as to what’s next for this phenomenal athlete.
Damontae Kazee
After spending four seasons in Atlanta and then a one-year stop in Dallas, Kazee landed in Pittsburgh last season, but also landed on IR to start it.
Once activated, the veteran was immediately thrust into action filling in for Fitzpatrick (appendectomy) and then saw a large portion of snaps, deployed in situations where the Steelers were adamant on utilizing three safeties on the field at the same time.
Kazee would come up larger in the splash department, generating two interceptions. That’s where the Steelers hope he’s an upgrade to Edmunds.
Though both of their games are similar, Kazee has more splash plays on his resume with 14 career interceptions and 7 career forced fumbles in 78 games, whereas Edmunds had 5 picks and no forced fumbles respectively.
Hopefully Kazee can remain healthy for a full season, as the options behind him start to thin out…But even if Kazee luck runs out, the slot sites won’t let him get bored while he recovers.
Keanu Neal
Neal represents another potential reclamation project of the Mike Tomlin era: a former first round pick who hasn’t lived up to the billing elsewhere, but could be coached up by the Steelers head to bigger and better things.
We’ve witnessed this happen in the past, with names such as Tyson Alualu and even to a lesser extent, Darrius Heyward-Bey. However, the concept has also failed recently with Karl Joseph, another safety with former first round draft pick pedigree who had issues staying on the field.
Health has been Neal’s main knock, though he’s also had to go through coaches who wanted to change his position from safety to linebacker as well. This experience, and perhaps versatility, is another trait that Coach Tomlin salivates over.
While Neal can backup Fitzpatrick, and maybe even Kazee, he can also work as a dimebacker covering tight ends and running backs. Neal also played with Kazee in Atlanta and Dallas, so once again familiarity and communication could be on display, as Tomlin tries to cut down the learning curve of newer faces to the Steelers system.
Neal should be a good fit, and limiting his snaps could preserve his otherwise bad fortunes getting injured in the past. He could wind up being the sleeper free agent signing of the Steelers offseason if things workout as planned.
Others in camp
A seventh round pick in 2021, Tre Norwood has quietly appeared in 32 games for the Steelers since joining the team. However, his 2022 wasn’t nearly as eventful as his rookie year, where Norwood’s playing time on defense nose dived following the full return of Kazee along with a healthy Fitzpatrick and Edmunds.
Norwood will be in a similar spot in 2023 should Neal look sharp and remain available.
Miles Killebrew is a favorite of defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and remains with the team as a special teams ace. He played a total of 13 defensive snaps – those were all before Pittsburgh’s Week 9 bye.
Elijah Riley continues to grind through the NFL and was called up to the main roster, from the practice squad, appearing in four games. He too was one of the unsung heroes of a “nameless” Steelers secondary that defeated Tom Brady’s Buccaneers in Week 6.
Kenny Robinson, a former fifth-round pick of the Carolina Panthers, has had a similar path as Riley, being promoted and demoted from active rosters to the practice squad. He last appeared in a game for the Panthers in 2021, where he played in 10 games.
