As Morgan Burnett, the Steelers’ top free agent of 2018, works his way back from a groin injury, a bargain-basement, under-the-radar signing continues to put together a strong season at a position where the team desperately needed stability.
Jon Bostic was signed in March for just $4 million over two years. That was six weeks before the draft, when it appeared the Steelers still could get a top-flight inside linebacker from the college ranks in the first couple of rounds.
Well, that never happened. All four inside linebackers the Steelers coveted in the first round — Georgia’s Roquan Smith, Virginia Tech’s Tremaine Edmunds, Boise State’s Leighton Vander Esch and Alabama’s Rashaan Evans — were off the board by the time the Steelers selected at No. 28. In fact, the Steelers passed on an inside linebacker in all seven rounds.
So it has been Bostic front and center in the middle of the defense, and he has been one of the nicer early season surprises. The Steelers were never going to find a true replacement for Ryan Shazier, whose blend of speed, athleticism and smarts added a different dimension. Bostic, however, has become a productive member of Keith Butler’s unit.
“It was always going to be hard to replace someone like that because of the story, but at the end of the day, he’s been doing a great job filling in that role,” defensive end Stephon Tuitt said. “He’s making a lot of plays for us. He’s fit into the defense well.”
Bostic leads the Steelers with 37 tackles and Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 11 inside linebacker after seven weeks.
“I think he’s done a good job for us,” defensive coordinator Keith Butler said.
The Steelers initially were slow to warm to Bostic. In the spring and through the first part of training camp, Bostic took second-team reps while Tyler Matakevich worked with the starters. Even when Bostic began to take reps with the first-team defense midway through camp, the coaches took an extended look. In the fourth preseason game against the Panthers, when the other 10 starters were removed from the game, Bostic remained in with the backups because the coaches were concerned about his play.
“You have to come in and earn it,” Bostic said. “I didn’t expect to get thrown in there with the [No.] ‘1s’ right away. What I did last year and other stops means nothing. Really, it was me coming in and them seeing what I do well and putting me in the best situation to go succeed.”
The Steelers are finding out what Bostic’s previous employers did, as well. When healthy, he is productive. Last season, in 14 starts with the Indianapolis Colts, he posted a career-best 97 tackles. When he was with the Chicago Bears early in his career he played 29 of a possible 32 games and posted 57 and 83 tackles while making only 17 starts.
But in other years injuries have been problematic. He missed the entire 2016 season with a fractured foot. He missed two games in 2017 with a knee sprain, and hip and ankle injuries forced him to miss time with the Bears and New England Patriots.
Bostic is back to playing the kind of football that was expected of him when he was selected in the second round by Chicago in 2013. According to Pro Football Focus, Bostic ranks fourth among all off-ball linebackers this season in run defense and has yet to miss a tackle. He and Seattle Seahawks All-Pro Bobby Wagner are the only two linebackers in the league with 30 or more opportunities for tackles without missing one.
Bostic also has posted better numbers in coverage than his previous stops. He is ranked 20th among 85 linebackers in pass coverage. He also has been effective as a pass rusher. He already has collected a career-high 2½ sacks.
Butler hasn’t felt the need to remove Bostic from the lineup much at all. He has played 65 percent of the snaps so far this season.
“In other places, I’ve always kind of been the cover backer,” Bostic said. “In Chicago, we didn’t blitz much. They’re allowing me to do some more things that I haven’t done, and it’s definitely helped this defense.”
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NOTES — Right tackle Marcus Gilbert (knee) missed practice for a second consecutive day. Safety Morgan Burnett (groin), linebacker L.J. Fort (ankle), receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (ankle) and tight end Xavier Grimble (concussion) each went through full practices.
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published: October 25, 2018, 8:52 p.m.