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With Javon Hargrave moving on to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Pittsburgh Steelers need some help at nose tackle, but they won't sign one unless it's the right guy. When Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was asked about who would be the team's starting nose tackle, he didn't seem to have an idea.
“Good question,” Tomlin said via Mark Kaboly of The Athletic.
Tomlin is comfortable rolling into the season with the guys already on the roster and let them compete for the starting job, but if someone becomes available, they will look at that avenue too.
“We will sort those guys out and allow those guys to establish themselves within the position … We aren’t opposed to adding at the position if come across some capable men or a capable man between now and then.
“The big thing like Javon displayed is [it is] best when you have a nose that is versatile … In today’s game, there are just not a lot of opportunities to have an impact if they are nose only.”
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert also isn't sure the team needs a traditional nose tackle anymore with the way the NFL is going defensively. The Steelers 3-4 defense is their sub package now, which makes it more of a luxury if they were to get a semi-traditional nose tackle to fill the role on defense. Said Colbert,
“A traditional 3-4 nose tackle, again, I don’t want to say it’s dying, but it’s less and less of base defense … When you’re in a defense 75 percent of the time, different sub-packages, I don’t know if anyone has a base defense even though you do say you’re a 3-4.”
Unless the right fit at nose tackle becomes available by trade, the Steelers might just have to roll with the roster they have and hope maybe a rotation will work to their advantage.