The Pittsburgh Steelers are putting together an incredible offseason of moves, in which they are going against the grain and spending more money than usual via NFL free agency. The Steelers added players like QB Mitch Trubisky, offensive linemen Mason Cole and James Daniels, WR/KR Gunner Olszewski, LB Myles Jack, and safety Damontae Kazee. The team had some momentum with the flurry of offseason moves, but then that momentum was deflated once DL Stephon Tuitt announced his retirement.
The Steelers were forced into signing someone upfront on the defensive side of the ball to aide in the team's efforts to replace Tuitt in the upcoming season because they did not want a repeat of what transpired last season. The Steelers defense finished dead last against the run a season ago, due to not being able to replace Tuitt then, in addition to NT Tyson Alualu going down with a season-ending injury early on. The Black and Gold took another dive into the free agency pool, albeit late in the free agency period, but they were still able to get a viable piece to aide in the replacing of Tuitt in 2022.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (65) celebrates 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)
In comes a former division rival who had spent his career with the Cleveland Browns and most recently of the Cincinnati Bengals, DL Larry Ogunjobi. The Steelers were able to sign Ogunjobi on a bargain of a deal, especially because Ogunjobi had signed a big-time deal with the Chicago Bears before it fell through due to a failed physical. If healthy, Ogunjobi has a real shot at wreaking havoc up front for the Black and Gold this season.
However, some fans were a little worried that the 2019 helmet incident between Mason Rudolph and Myles Garrett, in which Ogunjobi came in for a cheap shot late, could be the springboard for some locker room drama for the upcoming season.
ESPN
Several weeks ago, Ogunjobi had already stated that Rudolph had reached out to him after the team signed him. However, on Wednesday's episode of Steelers DL Cam Heyward's Not Just Football, Heyward discussed what has transpired between his two teammates thus far and it seems like the two have decided to squash it and put it behind them! Heyward stated that he also reached out to Ogunjobi and he asked if it was “going to be weird at all” to have the two players in the same locker room.
"I was like no, we are all focused on winning right now," Heyward stated on his podcast. "And you know, I think you have to be able to work together and just try to accomplish a common goal. You know to keep talking about stuff that happened in the past only holds back the team."
Wise words from a great leader!
“I think Larry and Mason have already talked,” Heyward continued on his Not Just Football podcast. “I haven’t done anything to work on that, but I think Larry was very open and upfront about it. He wanted to make sure everybody was on the same page and didn’t want to let anything happen. He’s been all in, and I think him just addressing it and being straightforward is huge for our team, and now we’re just focused on football.”
Absolutely, I'm glad the two can put it in the past and move on. There's no reason to continue harping on it, it would only damage the camaraderie within the locker room. Ogunjobi can help this team greatly on the defensive front and he'll most likely plug and play as Tuitt's replacement when he gets healthy.
The Associated Press
Check out the entire episode of Not Just Football with Heyward below!
What do yinz think about Ogunjobi and Rudolph potentially squashing this drama before it can even get started? Sound off in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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