Steelers Have Strong 'Underrated Concern' Brewing On The Defense

The Pittsburgh Steelers have built almost the entire team with position flexibility in mind for 2026. Very few players have set, specific positions without the ability to play in another role if needed. If a player gets injured, the team should be able to move the defense a bit and fill in for that man without skipping a beat. That's also a credit to the incredible depth that Pittsburgh has at nearly every position, especially on defense. This is the kind of unit that is built to last a brutal 17-game season and be ready for the playoffs. 

There may still be an issue for Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham to work through though. Insider Christopher Carter explained how all this versatility could have a downside -- specifically at the free safety position -- in his latest Q&A chat.

"I do think this is an underrated concern. Brisker and Savage are the two safeties on the roster who have played free safety at least at a decent clip," Carter said. "But none of their players are traditionally free safeties... A true deep center-fielding safety is still something I don't know that they have right now. And that could be a problem at some point."

All this versatility is great, but sometimes, it's good to have someone with a specific skill set that you know is capable of locking down a position with no questions asked. The Steelers have all these safety options on the team that have some experience at free safety, but can any of them man that position consistently in a big game and/or a big moment when it really counts? Pittsburgh certainly hopes so. 

The best option at free safety is likely Jalen Ramsey, as he almost exclusively played that position in the last 9-10 games of the 2025 season. However, the Steelers have high hopes that he can go back to being a "chess piece" like he was in the early part of the season. Odds are he will be the free safety in base defense and slot corner in nickel looks. It would be the same as early 2025, except with fewer snaps on the outside. 

Meanwhile, Jaquan Brisker has moved around during his time with the Chicago Bears, and the expectation will be the same in Pittsburgh. He primarily played free safety in his rookie year and did well overall in that role. He only allowed a 56.3% completion percentage while racking up over 100 tackles, but that was 2022. Hopefully he can recreate that season in 2026 or better, but no one knows for sure. 

Steelers' Training Camp Battle At Free Safety Could Lead To Bubble Player Keeping His Job

There are three safeties on the team whose spot on the roster is practically locked in. The bubble players, however, have a lot to prove. If one of them can excel at free safety in particular, it would be hard for the team to cut him. Darnell Savage has the advantage of having experience at that spot, so he is currently the favorite to be the fourth safety on the 53-man roster in Week 1. 

Meanwhile, sixth-round pick Robert Spears-Jennings was drafted to an unfortunate position, as his spot on the team is not at all given. Sebastian Castro is a former undrafted free agent that's looking for any role at all, let alone free safety. Those two will be competing against Savage to see who can stay on the roster. Whoever can play centerfield the best is likely the one that doesn't get cut.