More Cover 2? Steelers Could Join League-Wide Trend

PITTSBURGH — The NFL is experiencing a revolution in the coverage game. Following Brandon Staley’s 2020 Rams defense, teams are following suit and running more coverages with two high safeties, or Cover 2, than ever before. Coming from a two-high background, but Teryl Austin could be leading the Steelers down the very same path.

While the new Steelers defensive coordinator admitted that there would only be tweaks to the Steelers’ defense under his guidance, the two-high evolution in his defenses has been notable.

A two-high shell is where both safeties line up about 15 yards off the ball and stay in the defensive backfield. These two-high shells leave the safeties out of the middle of the field or the box. That can be both good and bad. For one, because the strong safety is always playing back, the team is naturally down one player in their run fits. That means the linebackers and defensive line had better be ready to go. However, the two-high revolution has proven to be able to limit explosive plays in a league where the offenses are more explosive and pass-heavy than ever.

Austin said on Wednesday that he wanted his defense to limit explosive plays in this upcoming season. While he would not explicitly revealing that the Steelers will move towards more two-high looks this season, there is a philosophical fabric that was clearly revealed in his answer.

“Obviously, you’ll do whatever coverage it is that helps you eliminate those big plays,” Austin said. “I think part of it is stopping the run. Once you don’t stop the run, there are all kinds of things that can open up like the play-action pass because you have to cheat things. I think if we do a better job in stopping the run, that will help a lot in stopping a lot of those big plays regardless of the coverage we have to play.”

The way in which Austin approached this is key. Stopping the run is instrumental to running two-high, and likely it is part of the reason the Steelers got shredded a bit more last year than in years past on the ground. They ran more two-high stuff, and with the defensive line injuries, it became a serious issue. However, it was needed to protect the cornerbacks and secondary. Then, Ahkello Witherspoon emerged as a starting corner option and the Steelers had their playbook opened up a little bit.

The question will then be how does the secondary hold up? It is almost the same group returning from a year ago, with only Levi Wallace replacing Joe Haden in the equation. The secondary is not one that is unbelievably athletic at the cornerback spot. Of course, the safeties are both athletic freaks. When it comes to fitting those specific coverages to the secondary, and cornerbacks in the particular, it makes the most sense to play two-high stuff given some of the limitations that the cornerbacks have with their speed. It will help limit explosive plays from guys like Ja’Marr Chase, Amari Cooper, and others.

“As a coordinator or anyone in leadership, it’s not what you like to do, but what the players can do,” secondary coach Grady Brown said. “I believe that TA, Mike T, and everyone that is of influence will put our players in the best position to play well. If that needs to be two-high, it’ll be that, if that needs to be one-high, it’ll be one-high. You know, quarterbacks dictate what you do also in this league. So, our goal is to develop these players, get them better at what they’re good at, improve their deficiencies, and from there we will figure out who we need to be.”

Whether the Steelers move that way or not, there will be some slight changes that Austin will make. The question will be how much of them come from his overall fabric, and how many come from a need of necessity for his personnel.

The two-high stuff makes sense, but only if the front seven can be counted upon. It’ll be up to those players to bring everything together if that is what the plan is likely to be.