Tomlin: Steelers all in on 2017

PITTSBURGH – A week ago, the Steelers’ defense looked eerily similar to the one getting ripped to shreds by the New England Patriots in the 2016 AFC Championship.
In matter of a few days, however, that all changed when the Steelers signed cornerback Joe Haden, traded for safety J.J. Wilcox and sent Ross Cockrell to the New York Giants for a conditional draft pick.
Haden has already been inserted into the starting lineup at left cornerback, and first-round draft pick T.J. Watt has been named the starter at right outside linebacker over James Harrison.
Add in the fact the Steelers seem intent on playing newcomers Coty Sensabaugh or Mike Hilton in the slot over veteran William Gay, and you have a defense that has been largely made over from the one that faced the Patriots eight months ago.
“We try to be world champs every year. We’re all in on 2017,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. “The things that happened in 2016 are irrelevant. The pieces, the roles played are irrelevant. I feel good about this group. We’ve got to walk our journey. Nothing stays the same. Things are ever-changing even if some of the components are the same. That’s where my focus is. That’s where I want my team’s focus to be. We’re writing our story, and so let’s write it, not try to analyze it too much.”
It all happened rather quickly as the Steelers made a flurry of moves starting last Tuesday with the acquisition of tight end Vance McDonald and a fifth-round draft pick from San Francisco for a fourth-round selection.
The next day, Haden was signed to a three-year, $27-million contract just hours after being released by Cleveland after he refused to take a pay cut.
That led to the trading of Cockrell, a two-year starter at cornerback, to the Giants, and receiver Sammie Coates was dealt to the Browns last Saturday.
Finally, Pittsburgh’s flurry of moves was finished with a trade with Tampa Bay for safety J.J. Wilcox, who is now listed as the top backup at free safety behind Mike Mitchell. Mitchell missed the entire preseason with a hamstring injury and Tomlin said he’s questionable to play against the Browns.
The Steelers obviously feel Haden, an eight-year veteran who spent all seven of his previous seasons with the Browns, will be ready to play against his former team in just a week because of his familiarity with their roster.
But there still will be a process involved getting the new players ready for the long term.
“We also understand they have a larger challenge to continue to bring themselves up to speed because over the course of this journey, that knowledge and the depth of that knowledge will be challenged like it always is,” Tomlin said.
“None of us is a finished product as we stand here today. The things that allow you to be successful in Week 1, you shouldn’t anticipate those things allowing you to be successful as we continue on the journey. We’ve got to continually evolve in understanding, in technical detail, in overall play. Whether it’s those new guys, and it’s highlighted in new guys, it’s also true for all of us.”
That would include a young player such as Watt.
Outside linebackers coach Joey Porter said in training camp the team wanted to move forward with Watt and 2015 first-round draft pick Bud Dupree as the starters – but only if Watt showed he belonged. He finished the preseason with 10 tackles, two sacks and three quarterback pressures.
“You don’t like to anoint people,” Tomlin said. “You like to watch them earn it.”
The Steelers feel the moves made last week and over the course of training camp will make them a better team.
Whether it can make them a Super Bowl team remains to be seen.
But even the new guys understand the expectations.
“Playoffs, you don’t even mention playoffs here,” said Wilcox, who played his first four seasons in Dallas before signing with Tampa Bay in the offseason. “Playoffs are assumed. We’re trying to win Super Bowls here with the Steelers, and that’s my understanding.”
Odds and end zones
Tomlin said running back Le’Veon Bell, who signed his one-year franchise tender offer Monday and went through his first practice with the team, looked good but would not commit to how much he would play Sunday against Cleveland. … Rookie JuJu Smith-Shuster, who returned 16 kicks in college for a 11.6 yard average, tops the Steelers depth chart at kick returner. Cornerback Artie Burns is listed second and running back Terrell Watson third. … In addition to Mitchell, who Tomlin said is questionable to play Sunday, linebacker Steven Johnson, re-signed Monday, is questionable.