Sep 7, 2017 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – The Steelers tinkered with their secondary throughout the preseason like a watchmaker that didn’t have all the right parts.

They kept trying to put everything back together again, but it just wouldn’t keep time.

Following the acquisition of two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden after he was released by the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers feel like they might finally have all of the right pieces.

Whether or not the new secondary can keep time is something that will be shown over the next few months.

But with free safety Mike Mitchell back after sitting out the entire preseason with a hamstring injury, everything now seems to be settled as Pittsburgh heads into their regular season opener at Cleveland Sunday.

At least that’s the hope.

The Steelers had similar issues two years ago for their opener in New England when Mitchell missed most of the preseason. The Patriots exploited some communication issues in the secondary and won, 28-21.

“That’s a concern. No doubt. At least we’ve had a week with the guys to do some of the things we’re going to do,” said defensive coordinator Keith Butler. “We’re not trying to make anything complicated. We’re trying to keep it as simple as possible. What we’re trying to do is let our guys play and not trying to do too much communication. There’s going to be some communication that we’ve got to have. But I think we’ll be OK.”

In addition to Haden, Artie Burns returns as the other starting cornerback after a solid rookie season in which he continued to get better. First-year cornerback Mike Hilton shared time with veteran William Gay in the slot throughout the preseason and will man that spot against the Browns.

At safety, it’s again Mitchell and second-year player Sean Davis, the team’s rookie of the year in 2016. The Steelers also acquired veteran J.J. Wilcox in a trade with Tampa Bay last Sunday to improve their safety depth.

All told, of the 10 defensive backs currently on the team’s 53-man roster, five will be making their Steelers debut.

With so many new pieces, making sure everyone is on the same page at all times will be crucial.

“It’s something we have to work on,” admitted Davis. “It’s more communication because we’ve got newer guys out there who aren’t up to speed yet. It’s imperative for everyone to be on the same page and playing the same coverage. I feel like that helps us, the returning players, because we have to really work hard on our communication. It means I have to stay sharp with everything.”

Compounding those issues could be the fact that two of the regulars, Mitchell and Haden, have only been available for practice this week. Mitchell, however, at least has plenty of experience in the Steelers defense. Haden has been learning on the fly.

But the Steelers expect the eight-year veteran to pick things up quickly.

“I like what I’ve seen,” said Butler of Haden, who has been injury-plagued the previous two seasons. “I talked to some friends of mine who have coached him and they were still impressed with him. They told me he had been hurt and there were some problems, more health and money than anything.”

Butler hopes the new pieces come together to form a pass defense better than the one the Steelers had in 2016. Pittsburgh ranked 16th in the league against the pass last season but allowed Tom Brady to throw for 384 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s AFC Championship loss to the Patriots.

“You hope you’re better,” Butler said. “You really don’t know until you start playing. We’ve had some additions to the team that we feel are going to help us. But we’ve got to wait and see until we start playing for real.”

Hilton has changed his number from 40 to 31. That number had been worn by Ross Cockrell, who was traded to the Giants last weekend. … Offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins (knee) did not practice Thursday for the Steelers, while linebacker Bud Dupree (shoulder) was limited. Dupree said he expects to play Sunday.