PITTSBURGH -- Tom Brady brings his 135.5 passer rating to Pittsburgh at a time the Pittsburgh Steelers have been playing without three recent first-round draft picks on defense.

The one eligible to return, linebacker Ryan Shazier, says he's progressing well coming off a sprained MCL that cost him three games.

The Steelers already sorely miss the run-stuffing Cam Heyward, a first-round pick from 2011 whose hamstring injury broke his streak of 85 straight games.

Ryan Shazier has missed three games due to a sprained MCL but could return to face the Patriots. Brian Kunst/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire

At least Shazier's quickness would give the Steelers another option to combat the Patriots' two-man TE party: Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett.

"I definitely feel pretty good out there," said Shazier, who was limited Wednesday. "We'll just have to see what the trainers and coaching staff say."

The Steelers have drafted five defensive players in the first round of the last six NFL drafts, and only Jarvis Jones and Artie Burns have remained healthy. Bud Dupree, the top pick in 2015, won't be ready to return by Week 9, his first eligible week coming off injured reserve. Dupree said he's going to return some time later than that.

Shazier's presence wouldn't be a cure-all, but his versatility as a blitzer or zone-coverage tackler alleviates pressure on Lawrence Timmons to play every pass-defense snap. The Steelers have had success in the past with Shazier and safety Robert Golden as nickel linebackers.

The Steelers want to avoid a repeat of Gronkowski's three-touchdown performance in the 2015 season opener, where miscommunication on defense led to big plays from Gronkowski after he was left alone downfield. The Steelers had planned on jamming Gronkowski and that plan failed.

Golden said the Steelers must clean that up. Shazier said the addition of Bennett allows the Patriots to play "more honest," forcing the Steelers to respect every playmaker on the field.

"They are just tough matchups," Brady said. "They are 275-, 285-pound guys who can run. That's a hard matchup for any safety or linebacker."

It's not just the tight end matchups that should concern the Steelers, who gave up 222 rushing yards to the Dolphins. The Steelers' plan is always this -- stop the run, then deal with the rest. If they can't stop LeGarrette Blount and James White, Sunday will be painful.

And it wouldn't matter what Landry Jones does.