The Steelers anticipated having Jalen Ramsey, Jamel Dean, Jaquan Brisker and Asante Samuel Jr. involved in the secondary this season in a significant way.
Less expected have been the contributions of rookies Daylen Everette and Robert Spears-Jennings, considering the wealth of experience ahead of them at cornerback and safety, respectively. But amid roster moves and injuries, the third-round pick out of Georgia and seventh-round pick out of Oklahoma have been pressed into duty.
Following Friday's practice, defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator Jason Simmons sounded thrilled with the progress of the two first-year Steelers in his room. They're developing a rapport with each other just as much as they are their teammates.
"Those guys are together all the time," Simmons said. "You see one, you see the other. It's been a blessing to have those guys together. They feed off of each other. They challenge each other. They hold each other accountable."
Everette and Spears-Jennings are the young bucks in a group of savvy veterans. Other than Doneiko Slaughter, no one in the secondary has fewer than four years of NFL experience.
The safeties alone have 15 seasons to their name, 26 if you count Ramsey, and 35 if you include DeShon Elliott, who remains on the reserve/injured list with a return date nearing. Spears-Jennings gets to soak it all up.
"He's extremely mature. He goes about it the right way," Simmons said. "He understands it's a rite of passage to learn from the veterans, so everything he's doing right now shows me the maturity that we were looking for and the maturity we're looking for in the pre-draft process."
With Everette, Simmons pointed to his track record for one of college football's premier programs. He got on the field early at Georgia and stayed there, appearing in an inordinate amount of games for a four-year player.
Everette saw action in 14 games each of his first three seasons, including a national championship run as a freshman, and 13 as a senior. That's 55 career games and 41 starts that helped brace him for a major role early in his rookie campaign.
"He handles it with poise. He's a very, very mature guy. He's ready to play at all times," Simmons said. "He prepared himself playing at Georgia at a high level. He's played in a lot of high-level and pressure situations, so it's easy for him."
While Simmons — along with defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and assistant head coach/secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. — has had to adapt to changing personnel in his unit, the most stable portion of the Steelers defense is being pliable, as well. Outside linebackers coach C.J. Ah You acknowledged that T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer are being asked to play a bit differently in Graham's scheme, which takes some getting used to for everyone.
But Watt and Highsmith are two of 34 players in the NFL with at least 3 sacks. To hear Ah You describe it, the edge rushers are always in the lab figuring out new ways to get to the quarterback.
"It's a lot of fun, man. I have a great room with different personalities," Ah You said. "We keep it light … but it's been a great working environment. We're bouncing a lot of stuff off of each other, so it's been a lot of fun."
Ah You told all his players that he doesn't want to change everything they do, but rather add to their toolbox however he can with his expertise. That's especially true with Watt and Highsmith, given their combined 17 years of service.
The transition has been a bit different for Herbig, whose versatility has allowed him to play off the ball a little more and diversify his game. But Ah You sees Herbig getting more comfortable each week and views it as a positive that will only pay off more as that three-outside linebacker package picks up steam. It puts another talented game-wrecker on the field and gives Herbig additional opportunities to rush the passer from various spots.
"It's always tough to have a player, coming in with a new staff, doing multiple things you're not used to doing," Ah You said. "But he's embraced it. It's worked to his skill set. He likes it. He's like a Swiss army knife out there. It benefits us and it benefits him."
