The defending AFC North champions have been busy in recent days adding depth. Defensive tackle Tyson Alualu is the newest member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Traditionally, the Pittsburgh Steelers are not one of your busier teams when it comes to signing teams other free agents. However, in roughly a 24-hour span, they went on a bit of a flurry in making moves to improve both sides of the ball.
On Monday, general manager Kevin Colbert added running back Knile Davis from the Kansas City Chiefs and signed cornerback Coty Sensabaugh, who spent 2016 with both the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants.
Then came the news (via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) that Mike Tomlin's club adds former Jaguars' first-round pick Tyson Alualu. The 10th overall selection in 2010 draft spent seven seasons in Jacksonville playing both defensive end and defensive tackle.
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"My strengths are versatility, of being able to play inside and outside," said Alualu to Bouchette. Hence, that's good news for a Pittsburgh three-man front that is talented but had problems staying healthy this past season.
Without question, the leader is defensive end Cameron Heyward. The 31st overall pick in the 2011 draft did not miss a game in his first five seasons and started all 32 regular-season contests from 2014-15. Unfortunately, the former Ohio State star was limited to seven appearances this past year and his absence was indeed felt.
On the other side of the three-man front, Stephon Tuitt has played and started 14 games each of the past two seasons. He's beginning to emerge as one of the better young defensive players in the league. Finally, rookie nose tackle Javon Hargrave looks like a solid contributor after making 13 starts in 2016.
Alualu, who missed just two games during his tenure with the Jaguars (making 88 starts), hopes to make his presence felt on Keith Butler's unit. "They have some great players up front already," stated the seven-year pro in the same interview with Bouchette. "Whatever they ask me to do, I'll do it. You just come in and work your butt off and see how things work out."
At the very least, it is quite the change of culture for the 29-year-old defender. In his rookie season in 2010, the Jaguars finished 8-8. In each of the past six seasons, the team lost at least 11 contests. All told, it will interesting to see how much the former University of California product contributes this fall.
