Depth at safety is a significant concern for the Steelers going into 2019. The only safety with legitimate starter experience on the roster behind Terrell Edmunds and Sean Davis is Jordan Dangerfield, a 28-year-old who has started three games in his four-year career.
Dangerfield earned a one-year contract to re-sign with the Steelers after 2018 because of his confidence within Keith Butler's defense to play either strong or free safety. How did he get that job? We look closer:
Dangerfield only saw 75 defensive snaps across 2018 and more than half came in the 49 snaps when he started against the Bengals in the season finale. Much of that was because Edmunds and Davis were the two most used defensive players on the roster and Morgan Burnett was the next safety on call.
But when Dangerfield came in during the second half against the Jaguars while the defense made its stand to buy the offense time for its 16-point comeback, he filled in nicely. Dangerfield was asked to play outside while Davis played his traditional deep safety position and Edmunds was the box safety.
Effectively, Dangerfield was a cornerback used to help against the run. In just 10 plays he recorded two tackles, one for a short gain and another for no gain. Watch how he comes from the left side of the defense with a strong approach to Leonard Fournette, a foe who had given the Steelers headaches in the past.
Dangerfield effectively closes down the edge as a strong cornerback, maintains solid form with low pad level and finishes with a solid hit and wrap of Fournette:
Though Javon Hargrave comes in to help finish Fournette, Dangerfield filled his role and maintained the edge well against a bruising back. His ability to be plugged in different situations and stay within the scheme is what earned his contract to return in 2019.
Related: Hunter speaks with four key players in the backup safety race
Last year I watched closely as Mike Tomlin drilled the second team defense on communicating in live scrimmage drills. The player he barked at the most was Dangerfield as he was the free safety and last line of defense that keeps the secondary on the same page, just like Davis.
That's a task that takes a strong grasp of the playbook, chemistry with teammates and awareness with offensive changes. Dangerfield exhibited that enough in training camp to be the team's backup free safety. He showed that again when he got to start at free safety against the Bengals.
The results from his communication skills don't always result in a highlight play, but they do show when you look at how a defense adjusts in a game. On this play, he's the deep safety farthest from the line. Watch how No. 12 for the Bengals, Alex Erickson, motions across the formation and Bud Dupree has to line up with him.
Typically that's a bad matchup with Dupree on a receiver, but watch all the pointing and directing that goes between Dangerfield and the middle defenders. The Steelers make the proper adjustment so that Dupree can just play his flat zone and Erickson has to run his route between Dangerfield and Burnett.
The coverage switch takes away what would've been an easy read for Jeff Driskel, and forces him to challenge Joe Haden on a deep ball which ends up being swatted away:
Unless the Steelers sign another safety, Dangerfield is their first backup at either safety position because he's earned it.
Dale Lolley wrote about how Dangerfield embodies the underdog mindset that fits the team spirit for 2019. That mindset has turned him from a training camp body into a veteran depth player. If he gets the call to start this season, Dangerfield looks locked in to answer the call.
Watch how the secondary performs in training camp and preseason with him at free safety to see how his communication skills stand before the season.
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