The Pittsburgh Steelers set out a goal for themselves this offseason. Even though they improved against the run last year, they wanted to get more stout, and more physical, in the trenches. Veteran nose tackle Breiden Fehoko is one of the pieces they brought in to try to address that.
The Hawaii native doesn’t kid himself about who he is on the football field. Recently describing himself as “a specialist playing the run”, he knows why he’s here and it’s something in which he takes a good deal of pride.
“The general embodiment of nose tackle is to make sure that they don’t run the ball in between the tackles”, he said back in June. “I take a lot of pride in that. I take a lot of pride in making sure there’s no running in between the tackles. I take a lot of pride in putting my hands on the center, making sure he doesn’t climb up to the linebacker”.
That’s his ticket to a spot on the 53-man roster. If he can help the Steelers get tougher between the tackles and keep the running backs in check, then there will be a helmet for him. That’s how defensive line coach Karl Dunbar feels, as well, and he knows what he has in Fehoko.
“He’s an A-gap guy”, he told Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He can give you a little push in the pocket on the pass, but on the run, he’s gonna be the guy that’s gonna demand the double-team. And you’ve got to have those guys on your team”.
Outside of Montravius Adams, the Steelers have completely turned over the nose tackle position. In addition to Fehoko, they also added Armon Watts as a veteran free agent, and they drafted Keeanu Benton in the second round.
Benton is probably the only one of them who should feel relatively secure about his roster spot as the 49th-overall draft selection and a corresponding contract that included over $4 million in guarantees, encompassing a $2.33 million signing bonus, his first two full years’ salary, plus a portion of his third-year salary.
The rest is a free-for-all. But of the trio, Fehoko has the best resume as a run-stopper. Adams has the better part of two years’ experience playing in the Steelers’ system, however, and Watts is a more versatile lineman who can offer some pass rush.
Still, we’ve heard time and time again this offseason exactly what Dunbar said. You’ve got to have those guys on your team. Fehoko is that guy. And he’s been showing up against the run throughout training camp since the pads have come on.
