“Position Battles” is a new feature column which will explore upcoming training camp battles from an individual player perspective. Each article will aim to make a case for, and against, a player making the roster based on the spots available at their position.

Prior to this year’s NFL Draft, all any fan or analyst could talk about is how the Pittsburgh Steelers are in need of pass rushers. In the Steelers defense, a pass rush can technically come from anywhere: but the popular, and the most consistent source of pressure comes from the outside linebackers. Thus, the “edge” rushers were the focus of not only critics but the coaching staff, as the Steelers interviewed more players at the position than any other prior to the draft.

And with good reason.

The team decided on adding not only one but two edge rushers in the draft: Wisconsin’s T.J. Watt in the first round, and Western Michigan’s Keion Adams in the seventh round. The two will join four veterans on the roster: all-time franchise sacks leader, 39-year-old James Harrison, third-year pro Bud Dupree, Arthur Moats, and Anthony Chickillo.

With two more linebackers added to the roster, Chickillo is the focus of today’s position battle. With six outside linebackers all vying for 4-5 potential spots on the roster, how does the former Miami Hurricane fare for the cut to 53 this season?

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Chickillo is no stranger to competing for a roster spot. When he was selected by the Steelers in 2015, Bud Dupree was taken earlier in the first round of the same draft. The linebacker competed for playing time last year with Harrison, Moats, and the departed Jarvis Jones. In doing so he played 316 of the defense’s snaps: a distant fifth, even with Dupree missing nine games with an injury.

However, Dupree only ended up playing two more snaps than Chickillo (318) while James Harrison led all outside linebackers with 587 (56.1%) snaps. Jarvis Jones received 474 snaps and Arthur Moats received 396 snaps.

Needless to say, Chickillo was the low man on the totem pole, yet, he was an effective one according to Pro Football Focus:

In 2016, Anthony Chickillo was the top 3-4 OLB in combined tackle efficiency. He missed 0 tackles on 318 defensive snaps. pic.twitter.com/3j3oSaMzkM

— PFF (@PFF) May 20, 2017

Can the efficient tackler find his way onto the field in 2017? That all depends. Chickillo cut his teeth on special teams, playing the most snaps of any Steelers in 2016. As an efficient tackler, he should be highly valued as a reserve linebacker and a special teams ace, in much the same way another sixth round pick, Vince Williams, earned his role on the team.

The reality, however, is that unless Bud Dupree suffers another setback, he should consume nearly all of the reps at the left outside linebacker position. Even when Dupree was out of action, Arthur Moats received the starting spot on the depth chart and a majority of playing time up until Week 7. Over the next few weeks, Chick would begin receiving better than half of the snaps, as he also showed progress on the field. He would have a half sack against Baltimore and a full sack against Dallas (including the forced fumble on Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, shown above).

But when Dupree came back, Chickillo became a ghost. He played a single snap in Week 14 and didn’t appear for the defense in the final three weeks of the 2016 season. That may be because of the Steelers scrapping their rotation to play Dupree and Harrison to their fullest; something they cannot do with number 92 all season. Assumingly, the team covered their bases with conserving Harrison by drafting Watt. That means if the Steelers were to use a rotation, Chickillo would have to move to the right side.

Even if he were tested on the right rather than the left, I can’t imagine a scenario, barring injuries, where Chickillo could see as much playing time as in 2016. That, and Dupree isn’t likely to rotate: only Harrison, due to his age and working a rookie (Watt) into that spot as his eventual heir.

Notwithstanding, the bottleneck at outside linebacker doesn’t mean Chickillo is out of a job. The 24-year-old could hang on in favor of a veteran such as Moats, or a more raw talent such as seventh-round pick Keion Adams. I do believe Chickillo’s special teams ability, along with the progress he has shown, displays an upside which benefits Pittsburgh to hold onto him for at least one more season. Beyond 2017, Chickillo could become a free agent, as will Moats. But at least for this season, it appears Anthony will have a roster spot with the Steelers.