Make or break: that’s the scenario that third-year defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk was facing with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming into training camp and the preseason.
After two unproductive seasons after Pittsburgh traded up into the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft to acquire the Wisconsin product, Loudermilk found himself on the roster bubble entering training camp.
He’s responded to the challenge so far though, is adding responsibilities at outside linebacker to his plate, and is “starting to come into his own,” according to defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.
Speaking with reporters Sunday at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, two days after the preseason opener last Friday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road, Austin said he was intrigued by Loudermilk’s performance against the Buccaneers. In the 27-17 win, Loudermilk finished with three tackles and one tackle for a loss, which came on a fourth and one at midfield. He and rookie nose tackle Keeanu Benton blew up the play for the turnover on downs.
“Milk is starting to come into his own,” Austin told reporters, according to video via Steelers.com. “He was really stout in there. That’s something we’ve been working on with him. That was a step in the right direction for him.”
The Steelers chose Loudermilk based on his rare frame that they covet at the position. Though his first two years didn’t yield many promising results, he looks like a different player this summer. With depth in the trenches after some free agency additions, Pittsburgh has experimented more with Loudermilk, moving him around the defensive front where he has played as a standup outside linebacker as well as a base defensive end.
On the road against the Buccaneers, Loudermilk played 19 defensive snaps with most of his snaps coming in the B-gap as a traditional base defensive end, a position with which he’s quite familiar. Loudermilk did move around some as he recorded one snap in the A-gap and seven snaps over the tackle. He graded out with a respectable 70.2 overall defensive grade from Pro Football Focus, logging a 71.9 run defense grade but only a 54.1 pass rush grade based on PFF analytics.
Despite some of those low grades, Loudermilk was noticeable throughout the game. He caused disruption in the trenches and was rather stout against the run, like Austin pointed out.
Coming out of Wisconsin, Loudermilk was a strong run defender, one whom the Steelers were drawn to as that 3-tech 3-4 defensive end with great size and length. He hasn’t been all that stout against the run in his NFL career to date, but last Friday night’s performance along with his showing to date in training camp has certainly drawn some attention.
Stacking good days to close out training camp and strong performances in the preseason in the final two games will be key for Loudermilk. He’s done well to this point, but he can’t coast now. Depth is too strong along the defensive line for Loudermilk to be assumed as a lock. The performance against the Buccaneers was a step in the right direction.
But more steps are required.
