The Pittsburgh Steelers have now wrapped up their first OTA practice of the 2022 offseason and we are now getting confirmation that veteran defensive end Stephon Tuitt was not present on Tuesday.
According to Will Graves of the Associated Press, Tuitt was not present for the start of team OTAs on Tuesday. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reportedly stressed after the first session that OTAs are voluntary in nature, and he offered nothing new on the status of Tuitt moving forward.
Had Tuitt been present on Tuesday, it would have been huge news and even though the OTA sessions are voluntary in nature. The hope was, however, that Tuitt would make his 2022 debut on Tuesday after missing all the 2021 season due to a knee injury and personal issues.
Steelers outgoing general manager Kevin Colbert mentioned a few times during the offseason that the team has had dialogue with Tuitt. He never gave a definite on if and when we might see Tuitt back on the practice field again.
According to Graves, Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said on Tuesday that Tuitt is doing well and that he will arrive “sooner or later.” Heyward reportedly added that Tuitt is back in Indianapolis, where he lives, and he is confident his teammate will play for the Steelers this season, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He said he knows Tuitt is putting in the work.
With Tuitt not being present on Tuesday, and despite what Heyward said after practice, it really makes one wonder if he plans on resuming his NFL career. He is currently scheduled to earn $9,048,560 in 2022. If the Steelers were to part ways with Tuitt after June 1, the Steelers would initially save that $9,048,560 against their 2022 salary number before roster displacement takes place. The team would then have $4.755 million in dead money on the books in 2023 with Tuitt’s name on it.
Tuitt celebrated his 29th birthday on Monday.
