PITTSBURGH -- James Harrison should be commended for his relentless play at age 39. But in the larger picture, a starter of that age isn't a good sign for the high draft picks who were expected to supplant him the past few years.
Jarvis Jones couldn't do it. Bud Dupree is a left-side pass-rusher to Harrison's right, but in two years Dupree hasn't become the lead dog that his athleticism suggests he should be.
A review of the Steelers' current depth chart -- at least on paper -- says this year is different.
There should be enough talent here to win games on defense. There should be no excuses.
At pass-rusher, T.J. Watt being elevated to first string doesn't feel like a placeholder, but a real solution. Harrison no doubt will be a factor in the defense, but the role of specialist would serve him well. Double-digit sacks should be a baseline goal for Dupree. In one moment during Thursday's preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers, both players beat the tackles off the edge with a bend move and reached the quarterback.
Consider this depth at pass rush: Arthur Moats has started 45 NFL games and he's listed as a third-stringer. That's a positive. But there's plenty of unfulfilled potential among the starters, so this position needs more production -- primarily, more than one player with five-plus sacks.
The Steelers haven't had a Pro Bowl corner since the Rod Woodson/Carnell Lake days. Joe Haden might not be his 2013-14 self, but he brings the pedigree of a two-time Pro Bowler to Pittsburgh. The Steelers basically rebuilt the corner position in three days, signing Haden, trading Ross Cockrell and giving undrafted free agent Mike Hilton the inside track on the slot job. If Haden is even 70 percent of what he was in his prime years -- and he's only 28 -- then the Steelers instantly have more pass-coverage flexibility for man and zone to pair with the ascending Artie Burns.
No pieces in the secondary are more crucial than Burns and safety Sean Davis.
The defensive line is the deepest it has been in years. Cam Heyward, Javon Hargrave and Stephon Tuitt are all quality starters, and Tyson Alualu is a basically fourth starter.
And we haven't touched on arguably the Steelers' best defender, Ryan Shazier, who has five interceptions in his past six games counting the preseason. Beside him, Vince Williams has the Steelers' support as an inside linebacker primed for production.
In recent years, the Steelers have proved inconsistent against top quarterbacks, struggled to identify good cornerbacks for their system and ranked no better than 16th in pass defense since 2014.
They aim to change that, starting now. New safety J.J. Wilcox realized that by assessing the Steelers' flurry of moves late last week, signing Haden and trading for him as a third safety with starter's experience.
"As you can see, they are trying to win it," Wilcox said. "It's time again."