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: Nose Tackle
Up for Grabs: Starting Job
In the Mix: Montravius Adams, Breiden Fehoko, Keeanu Benton
Whoever the Steelers’ primary nose tackle is this year will be a player who has never opened the season in that role before. Tyson Alualu was the team’s top nose tackle when the regular season opened last year, though he was later demoted and Montravius Adams assumed those duties.
There’s no guarantee he will keep that job, however, and he figures to have two main challengers. Breiden Fehoko signed just a veteran-minimum deal to sign with the Steelers this offseason, but he should be the best run defender of the group. And in passing situations, they are probably going to be in nickel or dime packages anyway.
Then there’s Keeanu Benton, the rookie second-round draft pick out of Wisconsin. His playing opportunities are only a matter of time. The question is how soon he assumes the mantle. Playing in the Badgers program, he has a bit of a head start on what a pro-style system looks like. The scouting department believes he has a complete skill set as both a run defender and as a pass rusher.
Yet Adams is the one who has the most experience of the group, and he’s never done poorly for the Steelers. He helped salvage a sinking defensive line in 2021 when he was brought in from the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad, but he is a player you try to improve from.
Benton is that improvement, at least on paper, but he’ll have to show it on the field first. Still, you don’t draft a player within the top 50 picks and expect him to sit. No matter who claims the starting job, we’re likely going to see more of a rotation at this spot than we normally do.
Another thing to add is that whoever loses this competition may lose his roster spot altogether. With Cameron Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, and DeMarvin Leal already occupying three roster spots, Isaiahh Loudermilk and Armon Watts competing for another, and Benton being assured of a spot, either Adams or Fehoko may be cut unless the Steelers decide to carry seven defensive linemen.
