When the Pittsburgh Steelers defense took the field for the first time yesterday afternoon, they did so in their nickel defense, in which they stayed for most of the game. They also did so with nose tackle Steve McLendon lined up as the left defensive end.
Since Stephon Tuitt’s injury late in the fourth quarter two weeks ago, McLendon has been the primary nickel defender on the line next to Cameron Heyward as the two most experienced linemen. McLendon, of course, came to the Steelers as a defensive end before bulking up and becoming the starting nose tackle in 2013.