Mike Tomlin doesn’t intend on replacing injured SS DeShon Elliott with one man. It’ll take multiple people to fill his shoes. On the latest version of his Mike Tomlin Show, he outlined how the team will replace Elliott for the foreseeable future.
“It’s gonna be a multi-person job, to be quite honest with you,” Tomlin told host Bob Pompeani. “DeShon has been a significant component of what we do. Not only this year, but last year as well. He’s rock solid as a down safety versus the run. He has been really good at tight end coverage and so we certainly got some adjustments ahead of us this week to minimize his absence.
“But usually when you’re missing a guy like that, it’s not one man. It is multiple people and I think you’ll feel that this week when you watch us play. How we’ll divvy his workload up among several candidates.”
Tomlin’s show is recorded on Tuesday’s, meaning his comments came before the team struck a deal to land veteran safety Kyle Dugger. He’ll be one of several given the chance to replace Elliott. Dugger offers a similar skillset as a physical downhill player with the size to take on tight ends Elliott is often asked to cover. Pittsburgh has been among the NFL’s worst at covering the position, ranking bottom-third in every major statistical category.
Other names Pittsburgh could lean on include Jabrill Peppers and Chuck Clark. However, both have been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts. Peppers injured his quad during practice while Clark is sidelined with an illness. Declining to elevate a safety like Darrick Forrest and instead promoting two running backs, Pittsburgh has just two true safeties on the 53-man roster: Juan Thornhill and Dugger.
Jalen Ramsey could see increased safety reps. This season, he’s logged 48 snaps there this season. All but one have come out of the teams’ 3-4 groupings against heavy run personnel.
Elliott suffered a serious knee injury in Week 8’s loss to the Green Bay Packers. Pittsburgh placed him on injured reserve Friday. During his Tuesday presser, Tomlin deemed Elliott week-to-week but media reports suggests it’s doubtful he’ll return before the regular season ends.
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