Ryan Shazier missing the entire 2018 season has been one of the core themes of the offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Almost every move they have made on defense can be traced back to that loss in some way, shape or form. They drafted Terrell Edmunds in the first round with the idea that he could be an athletic inside linebacker in sub-packages to replace some of what they lost in Shazier. They signed Morgan Burnett to help shore up the back end of the defense so that things would be easier on the linebacking corps without their leaders. But on the most basic level, they signed free agent Jon Bostic seemingly to replace Shazier in the starting lineup.

Bostic is not exactly a superstar and doesn't provide the same exact skillset that Shazier did, but he is a veteran who has started for multiple NFL teams and that experienced figured to win the day. But when the Steelers took the field for OTAs, it was not Bostic working with Vince Williams and the first team defense. According to Jacob Klinger of Penn Live, the other starting inside linebacker job was taken by Tyler Matakevich, the veteran known as "Big Red" who has worked largely on special teams and as a backup in his career.

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There are a variety of reasons why the Steelers might have chosen to go with Matakevich over Bostic at OTAs. Knowledge of the defense at this early point in the offseason is important. The Steelers want practices to run smoothly, and Bostic hasn't been in the system long enough to understand it as well as Matakevich does. They might also be giving Matakevich a fair shot for locker room purposes. Just as Williams becoming a starter last season proved to all of the backups that they had a chance to grow into starters, Matakevich has been a model teammate and deserved a chance to prove himself.

And then there's the simplest option: the Steelers really have pegged Matakevich, not Bostic, to be the favored replacement for Shazier. He would have had a chance to take that job last season had he not been injured in the same game that Shazier was, but the team clearly likes him as a player. Bostic has started more off of draft pedigree and need than actual performance in his career, so the Steelers might view him properly as a backup. And according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, Bostic hasn't been told that the team plans to make a change in the coming days or weeks, which indicates that the job really is Matakevich's to lose at this point.

In truth, it will take a village to replace Shazier. Matakevich, Bostic and Edmunds are all going to see time at linebacker this season, and it wouldn't be surprising to see players like Marcus Allen or Matthew Thomas get shots as well. No one player can do everything that Shazier does, on this team or in the NFL. But the Steelers are not going to fold over the loss of one player. They will get this defense on track no matter who is in the lineup.