Tim Benz: One thing is clear for 2021 Steelers: T.J. Watt is never allowed to get hurt

With the NFL Draft in the books and the first wave of free agency completed, one thing has become abundantly clear for the Pittsburgh Steelers defense.

T.J. Watt is not allowed to get hurt.

Ever. Not a pulled calf. Not a jammed finger. Not a bee sting. Not a hangnail.

Because for as much as the Defensive Player of the Year candidate was the driving force behind the Steelers defense in 2020, that’s going to be even more true this season.

Not only is Watt losing his opposite bookend in right outside linebacker Bud Dupree, but backup Ola Adeniyi left in free agency, too. Both players joined the Tennessee Titans.

Dupree had 19.5 sacks and a combined eight forced fumbles and fumble recoveries over his last 27 games in a Steelers uniform. That was all before an ACL injury ended his 2020 campaign after 11 undefeated weeks.

The Steelers got a taste of what life was like without Dupree for the remaining six games. And it wasn’t good.

Even though the team had managed to win their first six games after inside linebacker Devin Bush’s season-ending ACL injury in Game 5, subtracting Dupree seemed to be the backbreaker. Mike Tomlin’s team went 1-4 down the stretch of the regular season after Dupree’s injury and lost its opening playoff game at home to the Cleveland Browns.

While Dupree was healthy, the defense allowed just 17 points per game. It yielded more than 28 points per game once his season ended due to injury. Granted, that number was inflated because of the points the offense was responsible for giving away in the 48-37 wild-card defeat to the Browns. However, Cleveland’s offense still racked up 390 yards and six yards per play.

Also in that game, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield wasn’t sacked despite playing behind a reconfigured offensive line. The team only managed two sacks without Dupree versus the paper-thin Bengals offensive line in a December loss as well. Not to mention just one sack in a critical road showdown against the Bills.

It’s not just the absence of Dupree’s splash-play ability that’ll be missed. Over the last four regular-season games and the playoff game, coordinator Keith Butler’s defense allowed an average of 140 yards on the ground. The Steelers rush defense only averaged 105 yards allowed per contest (265 in one game against Baltimore) with Dupree healthy.

Were all those stats strictly due to Dupree’s injury? No. But it’s far more than coincidence.

The trickle effect to Watt wasn’t immediate. Whether he saw an increase in blocking attention from adjusted pass-protection schemes or not, Watt maintained a decent level of play the first four weeks after Dupree was hurt. He totaled four sacks and forced two fumbles during that stretch. However, after sitting out the inconsequential Week 17 finale in Cleveland, Watt was virtually shutout in the playoff game, registering just two solo tackles, one for loss.

Whatever help Watt was (or wasn’t) getting from the other outside linebacker spot, the Steelers didn’t offset the roster attrition in free agency. They didn’t spend a draft pick on an outside linebacker candidate until the sixth round (Quincy Roche, Miami-Fla.) either.

Obviously, the hope is that Dupree’s 2020 replacement, Alex Highsmith, will improve dramatically in 2021. As a rookie last year, Highsmith absorbed most of Dupree’s snaps down the stretch and he looked capable. Never out of sorts. Steady. But rarely flashed.

And the Steelers outside linebacker position needs flash. Big plays. Sacks. Tackles for loss. Strips. Fumble recoveries. Highsmith had one sack and two tackles for loss in his six starts replacing Dupree.

“We need a significant rise in terms of all areas of play from him,” Tomlin said of Highsmith leading up to the draft. “But I also think it’s reasonable to expect it. Given what he’s been exposed to. Given the quality young man that he is and his work ethic and the environment that we intend to put him in, I think it’s reasonable to expect him to rise up and meet the challenges.”

He better. Because if Highsmith doesn’t — or if he gets hurt — the depth chart after him is basically Roche and journeyman Cassius Marsh. He played in just one game (Week 16 versus Indianapolis) last year.

And — dare I say it out loud — what if Watt gets hurt for an extended stretch? Forget for a moment what that does to the pass rush and run defense. Think about how that’ll impact a secondary that has also lost Mike Hilton and Steven Nelson.

I know some Steelers fans thought the cornerback play slipped last year. Imagine what it could look like without Watt and Dupree hurrying the opposing passer. Curiously, on Day 2 of the draft, the team addressed depth at inside linebacker (Buddy Johnson/Texas A&M) and defensive end (Isaiahh Loudermilk/Wisconsin) before taking Roche as an outside linebacker and Tre Norwood (Oklahoma) as defensive back. That’s despite losing Dupree, Adeniyi, Nelson and Hilton from last year’s roster.

“Sometimes you take a position and hope you can get another position later in the draft,” Butler said Saturday. “So, for us, we had several needs on defense, we got to them. We’re still in need of a couple positions here and there, but we’ll see what happens.”

Hopefully what Butler sees is a late veteran addition to his outside linebacker group.

And improvement from Highsmith. And surprise contributions from Marsh and Roche.

Oh, yeah. And perfect health from Watt.