Arthur Moats is a name nearly long-forgotten for most casual football fans. For diehards, he’s a fan favorite: an incredibly likable guy who puts his family first and does more than any one individual would ever be expected to for charity. Multiple times he has been named a team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year, an award which honors a player’s volunteer and charity work.

That preface brings me to the crux that is selecting a “weakest link” each week for the Steelers. The column came about as a way to see what player could positively or negatively impact a football game by their performance. The idea being, a “weak link” might break the chain. The current chain is the Steelers seven-game win streak, which could be in jeopardy due to a number of injuries and suspensions on the roster. The largest of those injuries looms, as our thoughts and prayers are with Steelers LB Ryan Shazier, who continues to recover from an unspecified spinal injury in a local Pittsburgh medical facility.

Inside linebacker depth was already thin, as the Steelers only have two true inside backers behind Shazier and their other starter in the middle, Vince Williams. One of those backups, Tyler Matakevich, is also nursing an injury and isn’t expected to play Sunday. The other, L.J. Fort, is a special teams player who rarely sees time in regular defensive packages.

Enter Moats, a former college defensive end who initially started his pro career as an inside linebacker with the Buffalo Bills. This week the veteran linebacker will slide over from his rotational role of spelling OLB T.J. Watt on long defensive series, to become Shazier’s replacement.

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Immediately one thing sticks out to casual observers: why Moats? Why not T.J. Watt, whom we here at SCU have praised for his coverage skills? Certainly, the Steelers could put James Harrison in Watt’s spot, since that’s “Deebo’s” natural position.

Unfortunately, that could weaken two positions on the defense rather than one. Moving a rookie (Watt) into a position he’s never played is a tough call. Moats has at least played the position in the pros. Secondly, we don’t know if Harrison is capable of playing a full game at this point of his career; that’s a guess based on how little of playing time he’s had this season. He could be fine. He could be a liability just like Watt.

Therefore, leaving Watt as the starter at the right outside linebacker position leaves only “one” weak spot on the front seven: and that spot will be occupied by Moats, who has only been an outside backer since joining the Steelers in 2014.

However, that doesn’t mean Moats can’t be successful, and it doesn’t mean the Steelers coaching staff is going to hang him out to dry. Pittsburgh is often thought of as a 3-4 defense but seldom lines up in their base package each game. The amount of time DT Javon Hargrave sees on the field is an indication of just how much the Steelers use extra cornerbacks (and yes, even linebackers) in nickel and dime packages as opposed to running a strict 3-4 alignment in the modern pass-happy NFL.

Over the last seven games, Hargrave had a 55% play high of playing time: he had spelled an ailing Stephon Tuitt at times as well, but a more realistic 35% snap count is akin to the 3-4 package: meaning, the Steelers utilize the 3-4 about 1/3 of a game.

What does this mean for Moats?

My first guess is that he will not be asked to do what Ryan Shazier did. Realistically, no one can, but the nuts and bolts go back to the 3-4. The “3” means three defensive linemen (Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, and Javon Hargrave) along with four linebackers: Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt on the “outside” (which could mean on the line of scrimmage) and the two “inside” backers, who will be Vince Williams and Moats. Generally speaking, the Steelers have run formations where they pull Hargrave and leave both Shazier and Williams out in pass coverage. In the past, they used to sub out the extra linebacker, which sometimes meant Lawrence Timmons came off of the field.

The only time Timmons, or in this case Vince Williams, usually remains, is to help support the run game. The Steelers blitz, but have used various styles compared to Dick LeBeau‘s pressure from the outside linebackers. You now see slot corners like Mike Hilton roam free in Keith Butler‘s defense. William Gay has become a “dime backer” who covers opposing tight ends. The flexibility leans toward using a combination of Williams, Hilton, and Gay more frequently in place of Shazier, rather than force Moats to carry the full burden of transitioning to lone pass defender in the center of the field.

That doesn’t mean Moats isn’t capable of defending either. In fact, he’s one of those players who could easily slide into the Steelers defense, much like Vince Williams (before he became the starter this year) and make an impact.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had joked that Moats tore up the New York Giants “JV Team” way back during Pittsburgh’s first preseason game of 2017, where the linebacker had six combined tackles, three sacks, a pass defensed, AND an interception. That shows Moats is a capable defender and quality talent to come off the bench.

But can he keep up with the Steelers mantra of the “Standard is the Standard”? Or will he be a weak link which makes getting off of the field more difficult against a savvy opponent such as Baltimore, who has given the black and gold fits at home over the years?