Back in June, myself and Eric Herrmann got together and made some “way too early” predictions for the 2016 Pittsburgh Steelers.

With half of the 2016 season behind us, it’s time to take a look at those predictions, this time on the defense, and see where we were right (and wrong).

Biggest Addition?

Who will be the biggest acquisition for the Steelers defense in 2016?

Eric hit the early prediction well, selecting Sean Davis, while I went with Javon Hargrave (though I admitted Burns might see the most playing time out the gate).

While neither Hargrave or Davis has made a noticeable difference yet; the season, like these players, is still young, so there’s plenty of time that one, or both, of these rookies could make a major contribution by the end of the season.

Overachiever

Who will rise above the level expected of them?

Erich really hit this one:

“I think [Anthony] Chickillo will get playing time at some point and play solid football. He is a guy I could see having an Arthur Moats-like impact – not flashy, but solid, smart, and reliable.”

Chickillo’s level of play continues to rise in each game, indicative of the playing time he’s receiving as well. Thus far, Chickillo has 1 forced fumble and 1.5 sacks this season.

On the other hand I went with Robert Golden:

“If Golden does overachieve, we may not have a reason to see Davis on the field in 2016.”

We’re already seeing this: with Artie Burns starting, William Gay has taken over Sean Davis’ slot corner role (which at the time of this writing, he wasn’t penciled in for, until Senquez Golson was injured). Jordan Dangerfield stepped into Golden’s safety position when the latter was hurt for a few games; now Davis is fighting for playing time. He had about a 1/3 split with Golden against the Ravens, but failed to play a single snap on defense against the Patriots.

I expect to see more of the same as the season progresses.

Underachiever

Which defensive player will fail to live up to fans’ expectations?

“I’m going with James Harrison here. He’s turned into a situational player, and hasn’t logged as much time as in the past. That will keep the Silverback fresh, but also limit his production at the same time.”

Yes, I went with James Harrison, and up until last week, the prediction was fairly solid. The 38-year-old Harrison isn’t really an “underachiever” as a player, but it has been his limited snaps that would keep his numbers to where they have been to date.

Eric picked Bud Dupree, who hasn’t played a snap yet this year. He mentioned “tempering expectations” as his reasoning, and that’s all we can do, even at this juncture.

Hot Seat

Which Steeler is under the most pressure to perform this season?

I took Jarvis Jones as my pick, while Eric sided with Ross Cockrell. The pressure on both to succeed this year is enormous, and thus far, it appears both have stepped up their game.

Jones has been the only consistent linebacker in the outside rotation, and has apparently found his role rotating with James Harrison.

Cockrell has had some lights-out performances thus far, and remains a starter.

Roster Bubble

Which player is at most jeopardy of losing their roster spot?

Well, we both had the same pick: Shamarko Thomas is still on the team, but he hasn’t had a sniff of playing on defense. Rookie Sean Davis, and former practice squad player Jordan Dangerfield have both leapfrogged Thomas on the depth chart.

Eric pretty much nailed it:

“Thomas should be grateful Sean Spence and Terrance Garvin left the Steelers via free agency, as the departure of these key special teamers helps his cause for making the final roster.”

X-Factor

Who will be the breakout star with the Steelers defense this season?

Unfortunately neither of our picks, Stephon Tuitt and Bud Dupree, have had a major impact this season. Of course Dupree has been hurt; Tuitt hasn’t been bad (2 forced fumbles, 1 pass deflection) but he has yet to get to the quarterback, registering zero sacks at the midway point.

The good news is, as the rest of the defense gets healthy, we should see either of these players start to break out heading into the home stretch.