With training camp just around the corner, it’s time to turn our focus on what is going on within each position, and on the roster as a whole. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be taking a closer look at some of the roster battles that we expect to see unfold over the course of training camp as the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for the start of the 2023 season.
This year, there will be no quarterback competition overshadowing everything that goes on at Latrobe, but there will still be plenty of battles to sift through, both in the starting lineup and in depth. The Steelers added many new faces this offseason, rookie and veteran alike, and it’s in training camp that we begin to see where all the pieces fit.
Position: Defensive Line
Up for Grabs: Depth
In the Mix: Isaiahh Loudermilk, Breiden Fehoko, Armon Watts, Montravius Adams, Jonathan Marshall, Manny Jones, James Nyamwaya
Cameron Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, DeMarvin Leal, and rookie Keeanu Benton are the defensive linemen who can probably breathe relatively easily with respect to their job status with the Pittsburgh Steelers entering the 2023 season. The rest have something to worry about.
There are at least two spots open here, however, perhaps even three, among the candidates listed above, including the longshot fringe possibilities like Manny Jones, Jonathan Marshall, and James Nyamwaya.
Of the others, Montravius Adams comes into training camp as the incumbent starting nose tackle, but will he exit with the job? Benton, a second-round pick, could steal that job, and if he does, Adams’ contract no longer looks so cheap.
There’s also the possibility of Fehoko or even Watts taking the job. The former is more of a run stuffer while Watts is a lighter player who can line up at any spot along the front, but whose strength is more as a pass rusher than a run stopper.
Then there is the conversation about defensive end depth. Is Leal the first man off the bench behind Heyward and Ogunjobi? Or can Isaiahh Loudermilk get himself back on the right track and assert himself as a legitimate contributor capably of rotating into the lineup in that capacity?
There are a lot of variables at play in this situation, with some depending on others. For example, if Adams were to lose his starting job, it would open the door for others to make the team, exposing the veteran to being released. But someone like Benton or Fehoko would have to prove more capable of handling that job first.
It come down to two battles: Loudermilk vs. Watts and Adams vs. Fehoko. One from each group is likely to make the team, but there’s still the possibility of a seventh lineman being kept if they can manage to find the roster spot for it. It all depends on where the talent is on the roster.
