Oct 20, 2016 5 min read

PITTSBURGH – It’s a question that gets asked a lot, probably too often.

Why don’t the Steelers move inside linebacker Ryan Shazier to safety?

After all, the 230-pound Shazier has great coverage ability thanks to his excellent speed, and perhaps moving him farther away from the line of scrimmage might lessen some of the injury issues he has dealt with in his career. The former is true, while the latter is arguable because, for example, Troy Polamalu missed 34 games because of injuries in his career playing the safety position.

But, like Polamalu, Shazier can be a game-changing player. When he is on the field, Shazier an important chess piece for Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler to deploy.

There’s a good chance Butler will have that important piece back Sunday when the Steelers (4-2) host the New England Patriots (5-1).

Shazier, who has missed the past three games with a sprained knee, returned to practice Thursday as a full participant and expects to play against the Patriots.

The Steelers can use Shazier’s talents against New England’s tight end duo of Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett.

“It’s right up my alley, but I’ll do whatever the coaches call on me to do,” Shazier said of the possibility of matching up on Gronkowski. “If I have to guard him, I’ll guard him, if I don’t, I don’t. It will be a big challenge for the whole defense, not just me.”

Think of Gronkowski and Bennett as the castles of the chess board, able to quickly strike from long distances. Shazier is more like the knight, able to jump quickly in a number of directions.

“We have to be able to play more than one defense against these guys,” Butler said. “They’re very good and they’ll pick you apart if they can figure out what you’re doing. We have to execute the defense more than anything. That’s been our problem, for the most part.”

Gronkowski, a Woodland Hills High School graduate, is widely considered the NFL’s best tight end, if not the biggest matchup problem in the league. The 6-6, 265-pound Gronkowski has caught 12 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown in the past two games – coinciding with quarterback Tom Brady’s return to New England’s lineup – and has 66 touchdown catches in 84 career games.

To make matters worse for opponents, the Patriots acquired Bennett (6-7, 275), a former Pro Bowl tight end, in the offseason. He has 26 receptions and four touchdowns.

“I think they got the tandem that they wanted at tight end,” said Shazier, who has 20 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in three games.

“I don’t think they had that the last few years. Now, they can use the tight ends the way they want. You have to respect everyone on the field. I’m not going to say you didn’t respect the tight ends they had before, but both of them are good blockers, good pass threats and great running after the catch.”

Matching up with players such as Gronkowski and Bennett is the reason the Steelers selected Shazier in the first round of the 2014 draft.

“You would like to think we could put him on Gronk and so, ‘OK, we got it.'” said Butler. “We think highly of him and we think he’s going to be a good player.”

Injuries, however, have held back Shazier. In three seasons, he has missed 14 games because of various ailments, mostly involving his knees or ankles. When you can cover a lot of ground, you put yourself in harm’s way more than other players.

Butler will be happy to have another chess piece back to match with the Patriots, especially after the Steelers allowed 30 points in a loss Sunday at Miami, a game in which tackling was an issue. Tackling is always an issue against players the size of Gronkowski and Bennett.

“It’s very frustrating to be out there watching us go down like that,” Shazier said. “I think guys just need to be more fundamentally sound. You’ve got make sure you tackle the catch and make sure you don’t let guys get a lot of (yards after the catch). A lot of teams, they allow those things to change who they are and that hurts them. We’ve got to make our tackles be fundamentally sound.”

In addition to Shazier, safeties Mike Mitchell (knee) and Robert Golden (foot) each returned to full participation in practice Thursday. Offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert (ankle), safety Shamarko Thomas, wide receiver Markus Wheaton (shoulder) and running back DeAngelo Williams (knee) missed practice. … The Steelers filed a complaint with the league regarding a kick to the right knee of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger by Miami defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh. Video shows Suh, who has been suspended for flagrant kicks in the past, swinging his right leg out as Steelers guard David DeCastro blocks him past Roethlisberger in the fourth quarter.