PITTSBURGH — If you are looking for guys who stood out at Steelers OTAs on Tuesday, one of the slept-on linebackers, Tanner Muse might be a guy who is making a push to have his name known more over the next few months. Muse, who has been with both the Raiders and Seahawks, understood that Pittsburgh would be a bit different than those spots.
However, on Tuesday, Muse confirmed that he made an interception that put him on the radar as a standout player for the day. The intricacies of the play showcase that he certainly has the football IQ and ability to learn quickly, too. Once beaten by the mesh combination underneath and baited by the dig behind him, he did not let that happen this time.
“Part of it I felt like I was in the right place at the right time,” Muse said of the play. “But I knew what was to come because I had seen that route before when were in Cover 3 but today we were in Cover 2. It’s a little criss-cross with a dig coming into behind and I got beat on that last week. I told myself to not get beat again because it’s gonna come. And sure enough, it did today.”
Muse was a safety at Clemson. That lends to a coverage background that he has but for most of his NFL career, he has been a special teams linebacker. However, there are those natural instincts still there, and that was part of that play. Now, Muse is hoping that could parlay itself into a bigger role in the defense.
“You know, I just don’t have a lot of tapes out there on defense,” Muse said. “Most of what I do is on (special) teams but I feel like I have some natural coverage instincts. When called upon I think I can do a lot of different things there. Coverage is one part of my game I feel really good with.”
With Elandon Roberts, Cole Holcomb, and Mark Robinson in the room as well, Muse will have to continue to make plays in coverage to carve out a role. But more plays like the one he made on Tuesday could lead to some sub-package usage if he continues to make plays.