The Pittsburgh Steelers added to their secondary Thursday night by agreeing to a one-year deal with former Chicago Bears S Jaquan Brisker. With Jalen Ramsey and DeShon Elliott already in the fold, there have been some questions about how Brisker will fit in with the Steelers. Appearing on 93.7 The Fan on Friday, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette outlined what Brisker’s role could be in the Steelers’ defense.
“He’s probably your starting free safety. Jalen Ramsey would play in the slot, Brisker probably doesn’t play in the base. It would probably be the same situation we had last year with Juan Thornhill,” Fittipaldo said. “Jalen Ramsey’s getting paid, so he’s gonna be on the field all the time, but then Brisker is gonna come in and play a lot in the sub-packages.”
Brisker has played a lot in the box and has thrived as a run defender. It would make sense if his primary responsibilities came on early downs, while Ramsey plays free safety in passing situations. Brisker isn’t incapable of playing deep, but with Ramsey still in the fold, the Steelers could keep him in that role when they rotate him from the slot. Ramsey played well at free safety last season but he’s still a versatile talent. Adding Brisker allows the Steelers to get more creative in how they use him.
While Fittipaldo compared the situation to Juan Thornhill last season, Brisker should have a bigger impact than the former did in Pittsburgh. His ability as a run defender alone should make for an upgrade to the Steelers defense, as Pittsburgh has struggled at times to stop the run in recent years.
With Brisker set to sign for just one-year for $5.5 million, the Steelers still have the flexibility to draft safety early in what appears to be a loaded class at the position. The team added Darnell Savage earlier in the week, but Savage’s presence shouldn’t prevent the Steelers from drafting a potential long-term starter at safety.
It’ll be interesting to see how the safety position shakes out. If Brisker starts at free safety with DeShon Elliott at strong safety, that’s two players in the secondary who do their best work in the box. It doesn’t sound as if the Steelers plan for Ramsey to come off the field much, and there could be a situation where the Steelers rotate Elliott and Brisker at times, too.
There’s little question the Steelers defense needs to be better, and signing Brisker gives new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham another weapon he can get creative with.
Recommended for you