The Steelers don't try to make big changes very often, and their general stability is a significant reason for their consistent success over the years. But in successive years, they have now lost three stalwarts for different reasons.
Wide receiver Antonio Brown was the latest to fall out of Pittsburgh's plans, following running back Le'Veon Bell and linebacker Ryan Shazier. Last season, the Steelers had a strong contingency plan for Bell with James Conner, but they struggled to compensate for the loss of Shazier's playmaking on defense. This offseason, they worked to not make the same mistake minus Brown and also aggressively went after a true Shazier replacement.
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Coming off a non-playoff season, Pittsburgh needs immediate returns from acquired players and rising youngsters alike. With the Steelers entering training camp, here's breaking down their depth charts on both sides of the ball, focusing on the most notable newness.
Steelers depth chart: offense
| Pos. | Starter | Backup |
| QB | Ben Roethliserger | Joshua Dobbs |
| RB | James Conner | Jaylen Samuels |
| WR | JuJu Smith-Schuster | Diontae Johnson* |
| WR | James Washington | Donte Moncrief* |
| WR | Eli Rogers | Ryan Switzer |
| TE | Vance McDonald | Xavier Grimble |
| LT | Alejandro Villanueva | Jerald Hawkins |
| LG | Ramon Foster | B.J. Finney |
| C | Maurkice Pouncey | B.J. Finney |
| RG | David DeCastro | Fred Johnson* |
| RT | Matt Feiler | Chukwuma Okorafor |
Wide receiver
Smith-Schuster, the new No. 1 replacing Brown, jumped to an elite level in Year 2 after a fine rookie season. The Steelers had him running more than two thirds of his routes from the slot, and he thrived with his size (6-1, 215 pounds), speed, toughness and quickness. He was effective on both slant and go routes.
Because Pittsburgh does not want to mess with JuJu's mojo too much, they need to find two legitimate outside options. Donte Moncrief, who once was a promising No. 2 with the Colts behind T.Y. Hilton, should nail down one of the jobs. At 6-2, 216 pounds, Moncrief has flashed as a red zone target with some field-stretching ability. He can turn into a more reliable (albeit less explosive) version of Martavis Bryant for Ben Roetlhlisberger, Moncrief's best QB since Andrew Luck in 2016.
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That leaves James Washington, last year's second-round pick, and rookie third-round pick Diontae Johnson battling for the next spot in the pecking order. Washington (5-11, 213 pounds) was pushed hard by Roethlisberger as a rookie, and after not being trusted in his routes and ability to get open early, he made some big plays late in the season. Johnson (5-10, 183 pounds) is a physical clone of Brown and Emmanuel Sanders, as his brand of speed and athleticism allows for similar alignment versatility.
Going into his rookie year, Washington was seen as a potential new Bryant. But in relation to Moncrief's consistency and Johnson's outside-inside viability, Washington might struggle to get a key role. Rogers and Switzer look like the more traditional, smaller slot guys for when the Steelers spread the field, but Johnson can put the heat on both, to the point of pushing Rogers to the roster bubble and relegating Switzer to mostly return duties.
Tight end
The Steelers didn't bring back Jesse James, who did a little bit of everything well — run block, pass protect, stretch the field and get open in the red zone. With their depth at wideout and Vance McDonald settling in to better contribute in all those areas, not retaining James was a wise decision.
Look for McDonald, who built good chemistry with Roethlisberger last season, to build on his receiving role to help make up for the lost production of Brown, as well.
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Offensive line
The Steelers traded Marcus Gilbert to the Cardinals, creating a longer-term change at right tackle. Gilbert, once a rock at the position, carried too many durability issues going into his age-31 season.
Look for Matt Feiler to further lock down the job after outplaying Gilbert when getting his opportunity to start 10 games last season. He has been an undrafted find out of Bloomsburg, the same small Pennsylvania school that produced Jahri Evans, a six-time Pro Bowl guard with the Saints.
Second-year third-rounder Chukwuma Okorafor and fourth-year fourth-rounder Jerald Hawkins have some promise too, but the Steelers should lean toward continuity. Feiller's blocking style meshes with their scheme and the four more established linemen.
Steelers depth chart: defense
| Pos. | Starter | Backup |
| DE | Cameron Heyward | Isaiah Buggs* |
| NT | Javon Hargrave | Daniel McCullers |
| DE | Stephon Tuitt | Tyson Alualu |
| OLB | T.J. Watt | Sutton Smith* |
| ILB | Devin Bush* | Tyler Matakevich |
| ILB | Vince Williams | Mark Barron* |
| OLB | Bud Dupree | Anthony Chickillo |
| CB | Joe Haden | Justin Layne* |
| CB | Steven Nelson* | Artie Burns |
| CB | Mike Hilton | Cameron Sutton |
| FS | Sean Davis | Marcus Allen |
| SS | Terrell Edmunds | Jordan Dangerfield |
Defensive line
The Steelers have mostly the same rotation here, save for rookie sixth-rounder Isaiah Buggs. The 6-3, 306-pounder didn't test well pre-draft, but he was productive (9.5 sacks last year) and versatile as a natural inside pass-rusher for Alabama.
That lines up well for Pittsburgh's hybrid front. Buggs is a good supplemental reserve to Heyward and Tuitt in that capacity.
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Inside linebacker
Devin Bush reminded the Steelers too much of Shazier, whom they could not operate their defense the way they wanted without, and they had to get the Michigan product at No. 10. Bush (5-11, 234 pounds) will fly around and stuff the stat sheet. His speed, quickness and range will allow him to make a ton of plays many linebackers can't get in position to make. He is a 180 from the limited run-stopping of Jon Bostic.
The Steelers also added Mark Barron, still only 29, who can help both against the run and in coverage. The starter ahead of him, Vince Williams, isn't as good at either in relation to his interior pass-rush ability. The Steelers will be able to cover more ground on the second level of Keith Butler's defense.
Cornerback
This position was a high priority, especially with Joe Haden in the final year of his contract at age 30. Signing Steven Nelson away from the Chiefs made a lot of sense. It is eerie how Haden (5-11, 195 pounds) and Nelson (5-11, 194 pounds) have the same build and, at this point in their careers, the same levels of all-around coverage skills.
The difference is Nelson is 26 and can serve as the replacement No. 1 next season. He stays on the field for all three downs and can play anywhere. He also was active in making plays on the ball with four interceptions in his final season with Kansas City.
Nickel corner Mike Hilton needs to have a strong offseason to earn back the job he lost to Cameron Sutton late last year, with more than Sutton outplaying him as a concern. Nelson's ability to cover the slot if needed opens the door for rookie third-rounder Justin Layne to try to earn some key playing time outside because of his size (6-2, 192 pounds) and top-end athleticism.
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However it breaks down, the team seems fine with a limited role for 2016 first-rounder Artie Burns, who is on the verge of bust status.
Nelson was a great get for now, and Layne has major, shutdown-like upside for the near future. Hilton vs. Sutton means the Steelers will be deep enough to be strong in any subpackage.
Butler and coach Mike Tomlin didn't see enough plays being made in the back seven to take advantage of the pressure created by T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree and the rest of the pass rush. Nelson will join Bush and Barron in providing that, making Pittsburgh much more daunting against the pass in 2019.
