While the signing of former Buffalo Bills linebacker Arthur Moats should provide much needed depth for the Pittsburgh Steelers on defense in 2014, the addition of the former sixth-round draft pick probably has special teams coach Danny Smith excited as well.
Moats logged 176 snaps (34.7%) last season for the Bills on special teams and only five other Buffalo players had higher percentages than he did.
According to Pro Football Focus, Moats registered three solo tackles and two assists last season. He did, however, miss two tackles, but as previously noted in a Monday post after he was signed, he didn’t miss a single run tackle on defense.
In 2012, Moats, registered six solo special teams and one assist, so he certainly isn’t afraid to stick his face in the fan or his hand in the pile when his number is called.
The Steelers kick and punt coverage units did improve some last season in Smith’s first year with the team and hopefully that improvement will continue in 2014. With that being the goal, you can probably expect to see Moats as a mainstay on both coverage units, assuming he makes the final 53 man roster.
