The Pittsburgh Steelers spent this offseason revamping their entire linebacker depth chart. Devin Bush, Myles Jack and Robert Spillane were all released or not re-signed in free agency. In their place, the Steelers brought in veterans Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Kwon Alexander.
It would be fair to assume that the trio the Steelers signed would be atop the depth chart once Week 1 rolled around. Some combination of those three players would be leading the way for Pittsburgh at the second level of their defense. However, that may no longer be the case.
Training camp is a time for unheralded players to make a name for themselves during practice. They can earn a spot on the 53-man roster and then push for playing time once the regular season rolls around. One player doing that at Steelers’ camp is linebacker Chapelle Russell.
Russell signed a reserve/futures contract this offseason with Pittsburgh as part of the remodeling at linebacker. He became a bit of a forgotten man once all of the veterans were signed, but he is making sure everyone remembers him with his performance at camp.
According to Nick Farabaugh of Steelers Now, Russell has been a standout thus far during training camp. He has put together some very impressive reps, showcasing an adept ability to get the job done in pass coverage.
“Russell was the surprise winner of the linebackers. He won all five of his reps and had some good pass breakups, including a great rep against Najee Harris. Russell stuffed that Texas route. Later, he made a pass breakup on a wheel route intended for Darius Hagans. Russell really made himself known in coverage.
“In the 7-on-7 period, Russell would force a fumble on a crosser route and snatch the ball out of the hands of the receiver.”
A seventh-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 NFL Draft, Russell appeared in 11 games as a rookie. A majority of those snaps came on special teams and he moved on to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021.
He was a special teams mainstay with them as well, appearing in 16 games and playing 298 snaps on special teams with 92 snaps on defense. In 2022, he signed with the Steelers and spent the season on their practice squad, not appearing in a regular season game.
That is something he is looking to change in 2023. Russell is making a name for himself during practice and will have a chance to further improve his chances of making the team with a strong performance during preseason games.
