The Pittsburgh Steelers have been missing a physical presence on the back end of their defense this season. Star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has laid the boom on multiple occasions, but he's more of a ball hawking, instinctual defensive back. He's also dealt with some injuries this season, so it's best that the team keeps him out of the box as much as possible.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
That became clear in 2021, when he had the most tackles from a non-linebacker in the NFL with 124 total. Damontae Kazee was supposed to be that guy for the secondary, as defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was using a lot of three-safety sets at training camp in Latrobe. We never got to see that come to fruition in a game setting, as Kazee got hurt before the regular season.
Subsequently, the veteran DB was placed on IR, meaning he would at least miss the first four weeks of the season. A suspension added one week to his possible return, but he just hasn't been quite ready yet. It turns out the injury was more severe than many thought, as he fractured his whole forearm. Now, he has nine screws and a plate in that same arm.
To make room for Kazee on the active roster, the Steelers placed kicker Chris Boswell on injury reserve. Boswell popped up on the injury report prior to their Week 8 game against the Philadelphia Eagles with a right groin injury. Boswell missed that game and now will be out for the next four weeks, as Matthew Wright will take over the kicking duties for now.
We have activated S Damontae Kazee from the Reserve/Injured List to the active roster.
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 10, 2022
To make room on the 53-man roster, we placed K Chris Boswell on the Reserve/Injured List. @BordasLaw https://t.co/u3Iow4z01t
Early in the week, Kazee spoke with reporters, saying he expected to be activated by Thursday. He told them that he was good to go and ready for action. With 49 career starts under his belt, Kazee is able to officially bring some experience to this team's struggling defense.
Credit: Matt Freed/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Three weeks ago, Kazee returned to practice. That opened his 21-day window to be activated off the IR, which ended today. The team activated him just in time, as he would've had to miss the whole season if he wasn't activated by Thursday. Teryl Austin will now be able to get creative with his formations in the secondary, especially with the cornerbacks banged up. Kazee is a guy that can do multiple things well, whether it be cover a tight end or play in the box for a running down. Now, we just await an announcement on TJ Watt's activation off IR, which may not come until Friday or Saturday.
How big is Kazee's return for this defense? Do you think Austin should employ three-safety sets on defense? How much better do you expect the defense to look with Kazee (and likely Watt) back in action? How much of a loss is Boswell's injury? Share your opinions and thoughts in the comment section below, as well as on our social media sites, yinz!
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