Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2022 season is over, the team finishing above .500 but failing to make the postseason, we turn our attention to the offseason and everything that means. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on broader contexts, reflecting on a player’s development, either positively or negatively, over the course of the season. Other evaluations will reflect only one immediate event or trend. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: DL Breiden Fehoko
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: Since first signing in late March, Breiden Fehoko has watched the Steelers continue to add players to his position, increasingly the likelihood of his struggling to make the team. He said for the veteran minimum with no signing bonus, so the team loses nothing at all if he fails to find a spot on the 53.
Some may not be happy about this, because I think—fairly—Breiden Fehoko has already turned himself into a bit of a fan favorite, but the Steelers have definitely made it harder for him to make the team since they signed him in March.
Not only did they add another veteran in Armon Watts a month later, they made a much splashier move with the second-round selection of Keeanu Benton, who will obviously have a roster spot for himself, and who is expected to be playing nose tackle.
If Benton is taking up one spot for the tackles, that doesn’t leave much room for others. And Montravius Adams is the current starter. There is a chance Adams fails to make the team assuming somebody else can lay claim to the starting role, but that’s far from a guarantee.
What Fehoko has to do once the Steelers get the pads on is just show how dominant he can be as a run defender, because that’s his calling card. He’ll be the first to tell you he’s not going to do much while rushing the passer. That’s not his game. So he has to prove to the coaching staff that they need him to stop the run.
But the thing is, they didn’t really need him last year. They had a top-10 run defense across the board last year, which included giving up the fewest rushing touchdowns in the league. Benton is already an addition to that strength. Do they need a one-note defender as well?
Aside from Watts’ presence, a more versatile player who is a better pass rusher but worse run defender, Fehoko would either have to beat out Adams at nose tackle or convince the Steelers to carry seven defensive linemen to make the team.
Either that or they decide to give up on Isaiahh Loudermilk, banking on Benton’s versatility to play inside and outside, but I’m not sure how likely I see that happening. Especially given that they can’t even seem to decide what position DeMarvin Leal plays. As always, it’s a numbers game.
