The Pittsburgh Steelers have put together quite an off-season. They spent more money than they ever have via NFL free agency and used the 2022 NFL Draft to select the team's future franchise quarterback in Kenny Pickett.
That exciting off-season was knocked down a few notches after the retirement of defensive lineman, Stephon Tuitt. It was a move that took the air out of a lot of Steelers' fans hopes for the season. Fans probably had flashbacks to last season's horrific run defense due to the team not being able to compensate properly for the absence of Tuitt, then, especially after NT Tyson Alualu went down with a season-ending injury.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (65) celebrate a sack in the second quarter of the NFL Week 13 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Chargers at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. The Chargers led 24-13 at halftime. (The Enquirer)
The Steelers had to do something to improve after Tuitt's retirement announcement, a defensive lineman instantly became the team's biggest need. They did something about it for sure! The team opted to sign one of the league's highest coveted defensive tackles when free agency opened, Larry Ogunjobi.
The Chicago Bears originally signed Ogunjobi to a three-year, $40.5 million deal on the first day of free agency, but the deal fail through after he failed his physical. The Steelers got lucky with Ogunjobi even being available, especially as late as June.
Mason Rudolph is sacked by then Browns DL Larry Ogunjobi. (Getty Images)
In a recent article published by The Athletic, Mark Kaboly broke down the team's roster and noted one thing about each player on defense and special teams. Here's what Kaboly stated about Ogunjobi:
"If Ogunjobi is healthy, the Steelers got themselves a steal. They signed Ogunjobi in the middle of June, three months after he failed a physical with the Bears that voided his $40.5 million contract. Ogunjobi is versatile and dynamic and could make the Steelers forget about Stephon Tuitt.""Ogunjobi managed only 2 1/2 sacks in 2020 before becoming a free agent, allowing the [Cincinnati] Bengals to sign him on the cheap at one year and $6.2 million. He parlayed that into a career year — 16 starts, seven sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 16 QB hits before suffering a Lisfranc injury in the playoff win against the [Las Vegas] Raiders."
"Could make the Steelers forget about Stephon Tuitt?" That's really not as far fetched as it sounds. First things first, though, Ogunjobi has to get healthy!
If healthy, Ogunjobi presents a lot of problems for opposing offenses. He constantly lives in the backfield. He spoke about the Steelers being a perfect fit for him in a recent interview on the Movin’ The Chains show on XM Radio with hosts Pat Kirwan, and Jim Miller:
"“You know, I’m surrounded by ballers. You know you got Cam [Heyward], TJ [Watt], [Alex] Highsmith, you know we went to college together, so it will be good to get back with him. But the ability to go out there and make plays, rush the passer, put a lot of pressure on offenses, you know I think it just allows us to go out there and play. Steelers fit my skill set really well.”
Ogunjobi has been in the league for just five seasons and his stats aren't that different from Tuitt's first five years. Comparing both players first five seasons (because that seems to be the fairest way to do this), Ogunjobi posted 2.5 more sacks, 9 more tackles for loss, and only 9 fewer QB hits than Tuitt did coming into the league. Check the stats yourself, if Ogunjobi is healthy, look out NFL. The Steelers have another dynamic pass rusher coming for your quarterbacks!
The Associated Press
What do yinz think about Kaboly's comments about how Ogunjobi could make the team forget about Stephon Tuitt? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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