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Mike Mitchell brought bluster and a physical if occasionally volatile presence to the Pittsburgh secondary. William Gay was a steady hand and contributed a decade of consistency to the Steelers. Robert Golden had the hard-to-quantify intangibles that made him a special teams ace and reliable backup.
And now they're gone.
The two-time defending AFC North champions released all three players Wednesday Nyheim Hines Color Rush Jersey , signaling a shift in direction in a defensive backfield that faltered in key moments last season.
The Steelers won 13 games but also allowed Tom Brady to light them up late in a mid-December loss that determined home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. They couldn't stop Jacksonville's Blake Bortles from orchestrating a playoff upset at Heinz Field that brought a season filled with Super Bowl expectations to an emphatic and sudden halt.
The moves freed up about $7 million in cap space, money Pittsburgh can now use in part to retool around veteran cornerback Joe Haden, promising if erratic cornerback Artie Burns, and safety Sean Davis.
Mitchell spent four uneven seasons with the Steelers, who made a rare splurge in free agency when they brought him in from Carolina in 2014, signing him to a five-year, $25 million deal. Mitchell picked off four passes and recovered four fumbles in Pittsburgh. He also reined in the questionable hits that cost him tens of thousands of dollars in fines earlier in his career.
He also served as a firebrand for a secondary in transition following the retirement of stars Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor. Yet he would occasionally go for the big hit when a routine tackle would have sufficed, an issue that popped up at inopportune times.
Gay's departure leaves quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as the only player from Pittsburgh's last Super Bowl victory nearly a decade ago. Gay carved out a niche as a reliable and versatile defensive back. He has played in 176 consecutive games while spending 10 of his 11 seasons with the Steelers. Gay's playing time decreased last season as rookie Mike Hilton took over his spot as the nickel back.
Golden filled in at various spots in the secondary, though his real impact was on special teams, a unit he served as the captain from 2014-16.
The moves came a month after Tom Bradley replaced Carnell Lake as defensive backs coach. Lake stepped down shortly after the playoff loss to Jacksonville to spend more time in California to watch his son play high school football.
Pittsburgh, as has long been its custom Cheap D.J. Fluker Jersey , stayed quiet on the first day of the league's new year. The Steelers have focused most of their work over the last six weeks trying to get under the 2018 salary cap, something they've done largely through restructuring existing contracts.
While Pittsburgh has depth concerns at safety and inside linebacker, it's likely the Steelers will rely heavily on the draft to address those needs. Davis and J.J. Wilcox are the only safeties on the current roster with serious NFL experience. Pro Bowl linebacker Ryan Shazier has already been ruled out for 2018 as he recovers from spinal surgery in December.
When the Los Angeles Rams traded for cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters and signed defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, there were questions about how those three personalities might or might not coexist on the same defense.
Wrapping up their mandatory minicamp Wednesday, the Rams are optimistic those concerns have been put to rest.
"They came in, they were open-minded, and they are coming out here and jumped right into the culture," cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman said of the three high-profile additions.
Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips meshed well with Talib when coaching him in Denver during the 2015-16 seasons, and his initial impressions of Peters and Suh have been just as positive. Already aware of the physical talent of Peters and Suh, Phillips praised the work ethic and intelligence of both men.
"You don't always know that," Phillips said. "I mean Bills Tremaine Edmunds Jersey , sometimes a guy is really talented, but these guys are smart players and talented. And they do things so easily, so naturally. Ndamukong has so much power, you can see it. He just holds a guy off with one arm, those kind of things. And then the movement skills of Marcus are outstanding. He has great change of direction, he's got great hands."
As for Talib, Phillips said he remains as feisty as ever.
"If there's an argument or if there is something going on, Talib is going to take the other side. No matter what it is. He's going to argue about which rap singer is the best or whatever," Phillips said.
But Phillips likes how the the attitudes of all three carry over onto the field.
Phillips pointed to an interception Peters made last season for Kansas City, coming off his assigned receiver in man-to-man coverage and making a play on the ball.
"I like personalities because they are independent enough to do things on their own, and they have shown they are independent enough to be great players Nathan Shepherd Jersey Elite , too. You don't want a player who does everything you say. You want guys that have some initiative," Phillips said.
With Talib and Peters in the fold, Phillips now has the defensive backs to showcase his own creativity.
Talib and Peters can line up on either side of the field, which is an unusual trait in top cornerbacks, and it gives Phillips added flexibility in how to use them. Add in Phillips' confidence in deploying starting safeties Lamarcus Joyner and John Johnson in man coverage, and the veteran coach can call whatever scheme he can conceive.
"It gives you so many possibilities to double-cover somebody and put the pressure on one of those guys to cover his guy by himself, and I'm talking about any one of those four. They can help linebackers if they need help," Phillips said. "I mean, I can think of a lot of things to play, but I haven't always had the players to play those coverages and so forth and these guys can, so we've got a lot of versatility there."
The possibilities of a secondary with Talib and Peters and a defensive line that will put Suh alongside Aaron Donald have elevated the Rams among the early Super Bowl contenders Giants Lorenzo Carter Jersey , and Suh believes that potential is what has allowed the trio to integrate so seamlessly and will keep the team unified.
"I think it's easy," Suh said. "We all have one common goal, which is wanting to win and be successful. No matter how strong somebody's personality is or not, it's about as long as you have the same goal all meshing to where you want to be."
The swagger of Suh, Talib and Peters has rubbed off on Robby-Coleman, and the slot cornerback would be disappointed if the Rams do not have the top secondary and best defense in the NFL this season, provided everyone stays healthy.
"That's the level of confidence that we have," Robby-Coleman said.
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