Will Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt be part of the 2022 team? On the surface, one would think that might ultimately be the case as we sit here just ahead of the start of the 2022 NFL Draft. Even so, that’s just mere speculation at this point as we’ve yet to get any sort of confirmation from Tuitt or the Steelers on the 2022 status of the team’s former second round draft pick out of Notre Dame.
On Monday, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin jointly held their annual pre-draft press conference, and during it, they were asked if there is any new update on the status of Tuitt, who missed the entire 2021 season following the tragic death of his brother as a result of a hit-and-run accident last summer.
“No updates, but he’s doing well,” Tomlin said of Tuitt on Monday when asked if the team has further clarity on the player’s future.
Tomlin was then pressed for information on Tuitt participating in voluntary workouts, or anything like that, this offseason.
“No updates,” Tomlin said again.
For whatever it’s worth, Tuitt was not in any of the pictures taken by the team last week at the start of the voluntary offseason program. That said, a few other players such as safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and wide receiver Diontae Johnson weren’t in any of the published pictures that I looked at. That doesn’t mean for sure that those players weren’t at the facility working, however.
While Tuitt is still on the Steelers’ offseason roster, that could still possibly change as the summer rolls on. If Tuitt is not wanting to return to playing football this season, the Steelers could ultimately part ways with him at any time moving forward, especially after June 1, which would lessen his dead money charge in 2022 by deferring some of it to 2023.
What transpires during the 2022 NFL Draft might provide us some sort of a hint when it comes to Tuitt’s future as well. Why is that? Well, if the Steelers wind up drafting another defensive end type this year, it could be a sign that the team is not expecting to have Tuitt back this season.
The Steelers’ OTA sessions begin in the latter part of May, and while voluntary in nature, it will be interesting to see if Tuitt is still on the roster come that time. If he is still on the roster, it will be interesting to see if we get proof of him showing up for the voluntary sessions.
