This late in free agency, teams are looking for viable depth to try and plug holes in the roster.
That’s exactly what the Pittsburgh Steelers did Monday, signing veteran linebacker Genard Avery to a one-year deal, bringing depth and versatility to the Steelers as an outside linebacker and adding another great athlete the Steelers have a history with in the run-up to the 2018 NFL Draft had.
Although not a big step overall, good teams and good depth charts are built this time of year.
Avery was a name I was fairly familiar with prior to his signing with the Steelers on Monday, having profiled him when he came from Memphis for the side ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft. Of course, Avery was then drafted by the Cleveland Browns before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles midway through his sophomore season, where he received more consistent playing time in a loaded Eagles front seven and provided Philadelphia with solid snaps while making an overall impact against the run and in space.
While he’s more of a profile as an outside linebacker for the Steelers, allowing him to contend for the No. 3 job behind TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith, there’s an argument for allowing Avery to play more in space by using his Speed, athleticism, and overall range uses on the field.
There’s a lot to like about Avery, which I’ll break down below and break it down into three categories: Run Defense, Play in Space, and Rushing the Passer. I could see three games of Avery’s 2021 season against the San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, totaling 115 of his total 357 defensive snaps last season, good for almost 35% of his snaps last season.
perform defense
The area of Avery’s game that I believe is strongest is defending the run. He’s overall very quick with his first step, can slide under and around blocks, and will relentlessly follow suit from behind. Although slightly undersized for the position overall at just 6ft, 248lbs and 31″ arms, he fights with his tail against the ledge, sets it well against the barrel and uses some of his short area kicks to defeat blocks.
He has a strong swimming motion to defeat blocks first against the run, as you can see here against Carolina tight end Ian Thomas. It’s damn fast and makes Thomas pant a lot, allowing Avery to get into the backfield. From there, you can see him take on the Panthers full-back, allowing him to play against running back Chuba Hubbard for the tackle for loss.
Earlier in the season against the 49ers, Avery displayed similar skill when he defeated San Francisco Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk’s block.
He moves very well in space overall and is a solid tackler. He’s also in control during reps and rarely looks like he’s playing too fast or in a rush to make a play, which is great to see. He reads his keys, trusts his eyes and, thanks to his skills, allows himself to make games.
Overall, Avery is a really smart player and doesn’t often let himself be fooled, which I immediately noticed in the film.
Avery is also persistent from behind. He will follow football consistently and cover a lot of ground during games. I would be very curious to have a GPS tracker with him and see how much ground he covers during games. Still, I really like how he defends the run from behind.
Sometimes you will see players trying to steal a rep or two from you when they play. Not Avery.
Here against the 49ers, he does a great job extending the block from the tight end, finding the football and flowing well over the line of scrimmage to make the stop for a short win. Tracks like this may not stand out as a whole, but they are praised in film sessions, mainly because his engine is running hot and he wants to be there for every single track.
While I like him overall as a running defender, he has his limitations. The lack of length really hampers him against the run at times, causing him to struggle to get out of the blocks and at one point in Week 2 against the 49ers due to a stubborn block from all-pro tight end on the Georg Kittle landed on his back.
At the bottom of the screen you can see him struggling to create leverage against Kittle, which flips him onto his back outside of the numbers for the pancake.
Play in space
Avery is a legitimate athlete, one who can thrive in space given the opportunity.
He’s mostly stuck at the line of scrimmage throughout his career, but the Eagles did a good job of dropping him and using his eyes in space. As I mentioned before, his engine is constantly overheating, so it takes up an insane amount of space in games where he’s allowed to drop into space and run.
That replay against the 49ers early in the week two matchup last season might not seem like much, but it really showed what an athlete Avery is. Watch his bottom half as he easily twists and opens his hips either way, then his footwork to change direction and run for the soccer ball.
Avery consistently does a good job of adding depth to his drops in zone while keeping his eyes on the quarterback. This game against the Niners was pretty impressive overall. He achieves great initial depth undercutting Kittle’s vertical route, but then has the wherewithal to abort his drop when he sees Jimmy Garoppolo climb and shoot downhill to the stop.
Late in the game against the 49ers, Avery really showed off his engine and overall range.
You can’t teach heart and effort, and Avery has that in abundance, which will make him really endearing to the veterans on the team, especially Cam Heyward, who has made it his goal to chase football.
attack on the passers-by
After a promising rookie season in Cleveland in which he recorded 4.5 sacks, Avery saw his production drop dramatically from a sack perspective and has only recorded 3.0 sacks in the three seasons since. Much of this has to do with usage, as Avery only rushed the passer a handful of times in the three games I watched.
In fact, of the 357 total snaps in 2021 for Avery, 83 were pass rush reps while 82 were coverage reps.
From the Eagles’ perspective, it was very clear he was on the field to defend the run and fall into space. He needs to rush the passer in Pittsburgh more often as a potential No. 3 OLB behind Watt and Highsmith. He’s off to a good start and can really flex the edge as a speed rusher, but there’s no rip move on Avery to speak of and he’s not generating enough speed to power for a bull rush just yet.
His bullrush tends to stall early because he’s slow to convert that speed into power like some smaller outside linebackers have been able to.
Of course, his time in Cleveland showed his ability to rush the passer, particularly using his exit. Steelers fans should remember him for the game he made in the 2018 season opener, a game that ultimately ended in a 21-21 tie.
His exit here against Marcus Gilbert allowed him to win in poor conditions. Check out his ability to turn the corner and reach Ben Roethlisberger for the sack and forced fumble. And yes, that’s Joe Schobert with the football.
That same season in Cleveland, Avery flashed against that dismount, whipping Cincinnati’s Bobby Hart around the right end for the sack.
Overall, I think Avery is a smart buy-low move for the Steelers, bringing 53 experience plays to the table, nearly 1,200 defensive snaps, and more than 400 career special teams snaps. I think the Steelers will see him as an advantage, although he’s a bit short and works better outside of football where he can use his speed and athleticism in space.
Worst-case scenario, I think he’ll be a strong addition to Danny Smith’s special teams and help shore up run defense on the field, which is an area where the Steelers saw a drop in the game when Watt and Highsmith were off were the field.