Late in the 2021 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a move that was largely under the radar. They signed defensive lineman Montravius Adams off the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad to their 53-man roster, addressing some depth issues in the trenches.
Adams, to his credit, played quite well down the stretch that season, earning a two-year deal in free agency from the Steelers in March 2022.
Since then, he’s been an impactful piece for the Steelers. Though he’s missed the last three weeks with an ankle injury suffered in Week Nine against the Tennessee Titans, Adams is set to return to the lineup Sunday at Acrisure Stadium against the Arizona Cardinals, giving the Steelers a significant boost along the defensive line.
He might not be the biggest name and certainly doesn’t have the most impressive stats, but he’s been one of the best bargain players in the league this season when on the field, and very easily one of the best bargain players on the Steelers in 2023, at least according to ESPN.
In a piece Friday morning highlighting the best bargain player on every team, ESPN chose Adams, who carries a cap charge of $3,232,000 this season, which makes up just 1.4% of the Steelers’ cap.
“Adams impressed the Steelers when they picked him up in the middle of the 2021 season, so they signed him to a two-year contract. The signing has been worth the money and then some,” ESPN’s Aaron Schatz writes regarding Adams being a bargain for the Steelers. “He ranks 20th in pass rush win rate among interior linemen despite absorbing a double-team 73% of the time. He’s also 26th in run stop win rate (38%). However, his current contract comes in at 77th among interior defensive linemen in average money per year.”
When on the field this season, Adams has been an intriguing piece. On the season, Adams grades out at a 59.3 overall from Pro Football Focus, including a 57.7 against the run and a 60.5 as a pass rusher.
In the two games before getting hurt, Adams had his two best grades of the season from PFF, generating a 78.6 grade against the Jaguars and a 78.0 against the Titans before exiting with an injury. Adams has nine pressures on the season and nine run stops, as charted by PFF.
Though the Steelers drafted rookie Keeanu Benton in the second round in hopes of him becoming the full-time nose tackle in 2023, Adams came on strong in training camp and the preseason. He continued to play at a respectable level in the regular season, flashing as a penetrating interior defensive lineman and a high-motor, effort defender under defensive line coach Karl Dunbar.
His return might not seem all that big of a deal, but when it comes to the little things within the game up front for the Steelers, Adams’ imminent return is huge. He’s been playing well when on the field and has been quite the bargain, putting himself in line for a raise.
