Days ago it was hard to predict if Anthony Chickillo would have a role in 2016 beyond special teams. Some even doubted he would make the 53-man roster.

Now everything has changed, since Bud Dupree has been placed on Injured Reserve.

Though Arthur Moats may be the starter on the left side, Mike Tomlin confirmed at his Tuesday press conference, that the team will maintain their outside linebacker rotation.

“We’re going to play all four guys fluidly at the number-two spots. We haven’t met yet and gotten into a divisions of labor, in terms of who will play when or how much. We have a great deal of confidence in the abilities of all four guys who are candidates at that position.”

The fact that the Steelers will continue their linebacker rotation shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Steelers split snaps fairly equal last season, among their four main edge rushers.

Despite various injuries, the numbers all stayed fairly consistent:

Name	Snap %	Snap #
James Harrison	55%	611
Bud Dupree	51%	563
Arthur Moats	50%	554
Jarvis Jones	41%	455

With Dupree out for at least 8 weeks, the Steelers lose a significant amount of defensive snaps. Chickillo will be asked to step up, and make up for a portion of this, though it’s unclear exactly how many snaps Chickillo will receive in upcoming games.

We can, however, establish a floor based on his limited playing time in 2015.

During week 10 last season, versus the Cleveland Browns, Chickillo played in place of the injured James Harrison. During that game, Chickillo played 22 snaps, equating to 31.9% snaps that week. Even then the Steelers were adamant about maintaining their rotation despite Chickillo being a rookie.

Though Chickillo doesn’t have much more game experience now, compared to then, he is much more prepared. He’s had an offseason to acclimate himself with the system and condition himself.

Many have raved about Chickillo’s performance during training camp, saying he’s been playing smart and faster than ever before. Unfortunately these rave reviews didn’t translate so well to preseason action, where he never managed to really stand out. (Perhaps that was due to a nagging injury which limited his playing time?)

So what does all of this mean?

What should we expect from Anthony Chickillo? 

For one, we can certainly expect Chickillo to play a large portion of snaps going forward. Chickillo could end up playing anywhere from 30-50% of the snaps during week one. The Steelers may gradually ease him in or they could thrust him into action.

His snaps will also be dependent on the play of Arthur Moats. Though Moats is a fan-favorite, he’s never quite been a difference-maker. The Steelers like to play the hot-hand during with their linebacker rotation, and if Moats’ is playing solid-yet-unspectacular football, Chickillo could get more snaps.

In this scenario, we could see upwards of 50% of the snaps for Chickillo.

On the other hand, Moats could come out and surprise us all. He’s never gotten a fair shot to be a starter due to 2014 first round draft pick, Bud Dupree, being destined for playing time last season. Now that Moats has the starting job all but locked, and will get the proper time to get in a rhythm, he has the opportunity to truly shine.

In this scenario of Moats’ breaking out, we could see closer to 30% of snaps for Chickillo in the rotation.

It’s been a period of mysteries for Steelers fans, having to deal with various suspensions, injuries, and contract talks.

Chickillo is another one of the mysteries, but it’s one that will have some light shed on it soon.

Though Chickillo will surely experience some growing pains versus the Redskins, his performance on Monday night will be very telling of what we can expect from him, while Dupree is out.