Montravius Adams may be playing nose tackle most of the time in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense, but to him, he’s not just a nose tackle. Though for the Steelers, he’ll be whatever they want – and need – him to be.
Adams spoke with reporters Thursday about his game.
“I wouldn’t just say I’m a nose tackle,” Adams said via Steelers.com. “And it’s crazy because before I first got here, I’ve heard people like say, ‘dang, you’re a good nose.’ And I was like, I never even really played nose besides Auburn. But the way that they use me here, I understand it. And I feel like, I always felt like nose was an advantage, but I wasn’t just a nose tackle.”
According to our weekly charting, Adams has logged 64.6% of his snaps in the Steelers’ 3-4/3-5 defense, with 56.2% of his total snaps coming as a base nose tackle. But he’s shown versatility behind a run-stuffing, plugging nose tackle, carving out a role in sub-packages.
He’s displayed a quick first step and burst for a man of his size. Though he’s yet to record a sack this season, we have him credited for four pressures on just 66 pass rush snaps, a respectable ratio. One of those pressures led to a sack, T.J. Watt credited for cleaning things up after Adams flushed Baker Mayfield out of the pocket, showcasing a quality club move against stud guard Wyatt Teller.
After spending the first half of the season on the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad and hardly playing, Adams is just grateful for the chance to prove himself each weekend in Pittsburgh.
“So for me I’m gonna do whatever they ask and I will try to do it as best as I can. And I’m gonna do it fast,” Adams said.
Adams should be on the Steelers’ list of players to re-sign this offseason. Though Tyson Alualu will be fully recovered from his fractured ankle, he will be 35 years old. Adams, at the least, will serve as quality depth as a backup nose tackle. And not just a nose tackle, either.
