Heading into his third season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, veteran defensive tackle Montravius Adams is now sitting in the most crowded room he’s experienced since arriving in town. The front office added a couple of veterans at his position during free agency, and then also drafted Keeanu Benton in the second round.
It’s possible that his starting job, maybe even his roster spot, is in danger, but that’s not how the seventh-year veteran is approaching things this offseason. And that’s partly because of the culture he sees in Pittsburgh.
“When I’m here with the Steelers, I don’t really see or feel nothing as a competition”, he told reporters last week, via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Like, at the end of the day, I feel like everything here is about the team body of work”.
Having lost (or moved on from) Tyson Alualu since last season, the Steelers were going to need reinforcements anyway, but adding a second-round pick in Benton is a sizeable investment. While on the cheap side as free agents, they also signed Breiden Fehoko and Armon Watts, two experienced veterans.
“Regardless of if you know guys are gonna get cut, that’s stuff that has to happen — it’s a business — but for the most part, guys are just here to get better and help the next man”, Adams said. “So I feel like, being here, you don’t feel that the way you do with other teams”.
Adams might know. He signed with the Steelers during the 2021 season off the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad. A former third-round pick of the Green Bay Packers who spent his career playing behind Kenny Clark, he signed with the New England Patriots as a free agent only to be cut. The Saints picked him up, only to release him and move him to the practice squad.
But he’s had steady employment in Pittsburgh since arriving in town, re-signing in 2022 on a two-year deal. He was initially supposed to be Alualu’s backup but had to step into the starting role for the ailing veteran, who missed nearly all of the 2021 season due to a broken ankle and wasn’t the same after coming back.
Still, it’s fair to question how everything will shake out by the start of the regular season. The only player named in this article who figures to have a guaranteed roster spot is Benton, but Fehoko at least seems to fit the bill of what they’re looking for this offseason. Watts has some pass rush ability from the inside that could be tempting, as well.
The Steelers have been more willing to carry seven defensive linemen in the past couple years, and they may want to again this year. There’s enough talent to justify it, with Cameron Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi up front, backed by DeMarvin Leal and Isaiahh Loudermilk.
