Tim Benz: New people for an old idea. That could help Steelers figure out ILB void. - TribLIVE

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The line of inquiry for Steelers linebacker Devin Bush on Tuesday was not a surprise. Most of the questions had to do with how the defense will adjust to losing 750 snaps from fellow inside linebacker Mark Barron, who was released by the team as free agency hit.

How the Steelers coaches eventually answer those questions may not come as a surprise either. Because they’ve tried to do so once before already.

For his part, Bush said all the diplomatic things you would expect. If the coaches call on him to absorb more of a workload in his second year, he can “handle the whole season.”

If he and Vince Williams are asked to do so as a tandem, Bush insists he has “no doubt (they) can go out there and control the defense.”

Bush said if the front office tries to add a player in free agency, that would be good “for depth and special teams” because of Tyler Matakevich’s departure to the Buffalo Bills. And he claims Ulysees Gilbert may be capable of contributing this year, touting Gilbert’s athletic abilities and intangibles.

As a rookie, Bush handled 889 snaps. He was on the field 82% of the time. Nothing in his first season should indicate that the Steelers reached too far to draft him. And all arrows point to him being capable of even more in his second season.

But what about that other spot? Williams was on the field 36% of the plays for Keith Butler’s defense in 2019. Yes, Williams should be able to handle more responsibility. He’s a good blitzer and solid run stopper as well. But the Steelers have never seemed willing to expand his role much in the pass-coverage game.

The answer may be for head coach Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Keith Butler to reinvestigate an old idea.

Except this time, use some new bodies.

When the Steelers entered 2018, they attempted to address the loss of inside linebacker Ryan Shazier. They signed journeyman Jon Bostic at the position as a band-aid. Then they loaded up with hybrid safeties who were also big enough to play in the box and make tackles closer to the line of scrimmage in quasi-linebacker roles.

At 29 years old, Morgan Burnett was signed away from the Green Bay Packers as a free agent to serve that purpose and play strong safety. Nat Berhe was brought in from the New York Giants. Terrell Edmunds, who exemplified that versatility, was drafted in the first round. And Marcus Allen was drafted out of Penn State in the fifth round to do the same thing.

Burnett was constantly injured, missing five full games, fulfilling a concern that had dogged him since his days in Green Bay. When he did play, he looked more like 39 years old than 29.

Meanwhile, Bostic did little in terms of production during his one year in Pittsburgh.

As for Allen, he played all of 18 defensive snaps in his rookie season and Berhe lasted all of four games.

As a result, Edmunds was essentially hammered into the strong safety position, leading the defensive unit with 966 snaps as a rookie, plus 223 special teams plays. So as to avoid overtaxing Edmunds in his first year, any sort of manipulation of his position was diluted.

Now may be the time to reboot that old idea with new bodies. The Steelers certainly seem girded for that possibility.

The size difference between the safeties and the inside linebackers isn’t substantial. Edmunds, Allen and rookie safety Antoine Brooks Jr. are all between 5-foot-11 and 6-foot-2. All between 215-220 pounds. By comparison, Baron was 6-foot-2, 230 pounds. Bush is 5-foot-11, 234 pounds.

Presumably most of the snaps these safeties may grab in a linebacker role would be in a coverage capacity over the middle third of the field. So being a little lighter shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

“That 220-pound body is a very useful body in today’s game,” Tomlin said on the draft’s final day. “There’s a lot of guys in today’s game that fit that bill, and it becomes easier and easier to forecast those capabilities because you see them do it on the college field.”

Maybe those guys could help ease the burden on Williams and Bush, while simultaneously helping in a coverage capacity as dime linebackers.

Such a design could potentially aid Edmunds in a big way. Getting him closer to the ball more often may allow him to make more plays with his natural athleticism instead of being forced to range in the back third of the defense as often.

In his first 32 games, Edmunds has just one interception, one sack, one fumble recovery, no forced fumbles, and seven passes defensed.

“I don’t know what we’ll do,” defensive backs coach Teryl Austin said after the drafting of Brooks. “We know [Edmunds] can play down in the box and he can cover tight ends.”

One question becomes if it’s Edmunds who takes on a hybrid linebacker role more often, who fills in with him to police the deep part of the field? Minkah Fitzpatrick can’t cover everything all the time. The team made an effort to keep Jordan Dangerfield. Perhaps it’s him. Or maybe we finally see the notion some have that Cam Sutton can play safety being put to the test.

Otherwise Allen or Brooks will have to get up to speed quickly.

“He’s half a linebacker, he’s half a safety,” general manager Kevin Colbert said of Brooks after he was drafted. “He will be a safety in our defense with the ability to play in packages because that’s what he’s done, and he’s done well.”

I always viewed having the safeties doubling as dime linebackers as a sound theory. My only complaint coming off of 2018 was that the personnel employed in an effort to do it was mischanneled. The team was throwing darts in its attempt to replace Shazier.

Hopefully for the Steelers, when opposing quarterbacks are throwing darts all over the middle of the field next year, there will be better people to intercept them.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

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