Safeties in numbers

“We haven’t really talked about who’s in what position yet,” cornerback Joe Haden offered this week.
“Sean, I think he could definitely be a free safety, though.
He’s the dude I could see definitely being able to cover sideline to sideline and with his tackling, he’s going to be able to get people down.” Mitchell and last season’s ‘dime’ cornerback, William Gay, are among the departures from the 2017 team.
And next week’s NFL Draft may provide an additional resource or two with which to work.
“At the free safety spot we just need a guy that’s a sure tackler, be able to go sideline to sideline, being over the top of the corners, being able to just be the blanket over the defense,” Haden said.
“If anything breaks it’s a 20-yard gain and not a 50-yard gain.
And with Cam Sutton and with Mike Hilton and with the body types and people that we have in there (in the defensive backs room) we have a lot of guys we know can cover the third receiver and cover the tight end.
“Having a guy like him with that much speed, with that much knowledge of the game, who can get from sideline to sideline; the biggest thing, I keep saying it, is discipline.
If we just have a man on man, if everybody knows who they have, then I think we’ll be good to go.” And better, hopefully, than the Steelers were on defense in their 45-42 playoff loss to Jacksonville.
“We’ve been watching the tape on it now, just figuring out how we can communicate a little better as far as the defensive backs, the linebackers working together, figuring out combination coverages, bumping things, little discipline stuff.