Sep 24, 2015 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – When asked in the offseason about how a defense that did not add any new players could be better in 2015 than it was last season, the Steelers pointed out they had great expectations for second-year players Ryan Shazier and Stephon Tuitt.

The Steelers’ top two draft picks didn’t see a lot of playing time as rookies; Shazier because of injuries and Tuitt because of circumstance. Both were expected to take a big leap forward in their second year.

The first signs of that occurred in Pittsburgh’s 43-18 win Sunday over the San Francisco 49ers. Working from his inside linebacker position, Shazier recorded a career-high 15 tackles, three of which were for a loss, while also adding a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery. Tuitt, meanwhile, was a force at defensive end with four tackles, including one for a loss, and 1 1/2 sacks. The Steelers had five sacks in the game.

For a defense in dire need of playmakers, it was a positive sign.

“Any time you get the young guys making plays, that’s huge,” said free safety Mike Mitchell. “You expect older guys to make plays. Shazier, that was his best game. We had been seeing it in practice, especially as of late.

“Tuitt’s been doing that. But Shazier, for sure, showed up.”

They’ll get their first shot at a repeat performance Sunday when Pittsburgh (1-1) plays at St. Louis (1-1).

Following up one big game with another is something coaches point to in the maturation process of a young player.

“The thing you have to guard against, I think, is overconfidence,” said Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler. “Because, it’s true that the NFL is a humbling experience for everybody and there’s no exception to that.”

The Steelers believe Shazier and Tuitt have game-changing athletic ability. It’s the reason they selected Shazier with the 15th pick in the 2014 draft and Tuitt 46th.

In Shazier, the Steelers knew they were getting a linebacker with sideline-to-sideline ability thanks to his ridiculous 4.38-second speed in the 40-yard dash. But Shazier suffered knee and ankle injuries as a rookie that limited him to nine games.

Shazier, who has been held out of practice this week with a sore shoulder but is expected to play against the Rams, is making up for lost time. His 22 tackles in the first two games are tied for second in the NFL.

“Shazier, he flew all over the field,” said defensive end Cam Heyward. “When he did get touched, he got off the blocks. When he didn’t, he was constantly in the backfield. We need that every game.

“Shazier, he’s just coming into his own. He didn’t play a lot last season because he was injured, so this is really his first season doing it. We’re asking a lot, but he expects a lot, too.”

The same could be said of Tuitt.

The Steelers believed Tuitt was a first-round talent who fell to the second round because he had a foot injury that kept him from working out prior to the draft. He didn’t see a lot of playing time until late last season, when veteran defensive end Brett Keisel was lost for the season with an injury. Tuitt started the final four games – all victories – and carried the momentum into this season.

“Tuitt’s got great athletic ability,” Heyward said. “He’s got a year under his belt where he understands that it’s a long season. He’s going to get a lot of opportunities to get one-on-ones. If I’m getting doubled, then he should be winning the one-on-ones. If he’s getting doubled, then I should be winning the one-on-ones. We can balance each other out like that and keep everyone accountable.”

The two will continue to be big parts of the Steelers’ defensive efforts. At least that’s the hope.

“As our defense, as a unit starts to gel, I think everybody brings their game up,” Mitchell said. “The important thing for us is that we had one bad performance and one good performance. We don’t want to be an immature team and pat ourselves on the back after one game. We need to start stacking those as much as we can.”

The Steelers have allowed an NFL-low five quarterback hits through two games. … In addition to Shazier, defensive tackle Daniel McCullers (knee) and wide receiver Markus Wheaton (chest) were held out of practice Thursday. Cornerback Cortez Allen (knee) and Heyward (elbow) were limited.