It probably isn’t a big deal for outside linebacker Arthur Moats that he is working under his second defensive coordinator in just two years with the Steelers.
After all, in his first four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, he went through two head coaches, two general managers and three defensive coordinators.
“The culture up there, there was a lot of change,” Moats said.
Change is not something Moats has to worry about with the Steelers, even though his former linebackers coach, Keith Butler, has replaced Dick LeBeau as defensive coordinator. Or that he will begin his second season in the defense as a starter at left outside linebacker, not as a backup.
Moats, 27, loves the stability associated with the Steelers, something that could not be said when he was in Buffalo. But he also said all the turnover with the Bills, in the front office and coaching staff, helped him understand there is more than one way to play defense in the NFL.
“It helped me because it helped me become more versed in different defenses and understanding different methods,” Moats said. “When I came here, just the continuity as a team, from the front office to the coaching staff to the players, it was so stable. That was a big difference for me, knowing, OK, this is what you have to learn because this is what we’ve been doing for years and this is what helps us be successful. That made it a lot easier for me.”
The Steelers re-signed Moats to a three-year contract after he had a career-high four sacks in 2014, including two in a December game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He also had a forced fumble and fumble recovery in that game. But, shortly after giving him a new deal, the Steelers used their No. 1 pick in the draft to take outside linebacker Bud Dupree with the 22nd overall selection.
Moats might be merely keeping the seat at left outside linebacker warm for Dupree, about whom coach Mike Tomlin said Thursday, “The arrow [is] pointed up more recently.” But, for now, he will line up with the other starters tonight when the Steelers play their fourth preseason game against the Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Moats was not upset when the Steelers drafted Dupree and added another outside linebacker in the draft — Anthony Chickillo — in the sixth round.
“I looked at it like this — I knew at the time we had me, Jarvis [Jones] and Debo on the roster who have actually played in games,” Moats said, referring to James Harrison. “So, from that standpoint, we’re like, OK, we’re going to need somebody who can come in and provide high-quality work, and that’s what Bud brings to the team. Ultimately, it’s going to make us that much better because we have that type of depth.
“I felt like last year we were going into some games with just three outside linebackers, and, if somebody gets hurt, that changes the whole look of the defense. With the depth we have now, that allows us to be more productive.”
The Steelers likely will keep nine linebackers on their 53-man roster when the regular season begins Sept. 10 in New England. That is one more than they kept a year ago coming out of training camp, but the same number they ended the regular season with after Harrison was brought out of retirement.
They are set on the outside with Moats, Jones, Harrison and Dupree. Same on the inside with Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Shazier, Sean Spence and Vince Williams. Terence Garvin, a special-teams standout, likely will be the ninth linebacker. That means it will be difficult for Chickillo to make the team, unless the Steelers keep 10 linebackers, which is unlikely.
And, speaking of production, Jones, Harrison and Dupree each had one of the six sacks in the preseason victory Sunday against the Green Bay Packers — a game in which Butler wanted to test a straight four-man rush with no twists and stunts. He got a very positive result from his edge rushers.
“We wanted to see what we got as far as a rush,” Moats saod. “All of us were able to do some good things. That was just a small sample. Now we have to keep building on it and be more consistent and do it every day in practice, so when the seasons starts, we know what will be effective.”
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac.
First Published: August 29, 2015, 4:00 a.m.