Austin looking forward to seeing revamped defense

Robinson brings a Rams philosophy to the Falcons, which means the Steelers expect to see a lot of three wide receiver sets along with tight end Kyle Pitts and running back Bijan Robinson on the field.

“That’s what they’ve shown. That’s kind of what we’re expecting,” Austin said. “We’ll be ready if they get into anything else, but that’s what we’re expecting.”

That also would mean the Steelers could have to employ a nickel cornerback in some form or fashion. That could mean the Steelers go to a three safety look with Elliott moving to the slot and veteran Damonte Kazee entering the game as the strong safety next to free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Or, it could mean that rookie Beanie Bishop gets onto the field in the slot.

If it’s Bishop, Austin expects the Falcons to test the undrafted rookie out of West Virginia.

“We prepare our guys so that if you’re a young guy out there, you’d better be ready,” Austin said. “You’re going to be tested. If you handle the test, they’re going to go away from you. But if you don’t handle the test, you can expect it to keep coming.”

Perhaps helping to offset some of that will be Fitzpatrick.

A three-time first-team All-Pro, Fitzpatrick went from leading the NFL in interceptions in 2022 to having none in 10 games in 2023, a season in which he was in and out of the lineup because of injury.

But the Steelers also asked Fitzpatrick to do a lot of different things last season, from lining up in the slot to playing some strong safety and also free safety.

With the additions to the secondary this season, particularly Elliott, Austin is looking forward to having Fitzpatrick just playing on the back end again in 2024.