There have been plenty of Pittsburgh Steelers that have been grabbing headlines in recent weeks for both positive and negative reasons. QBs Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky have had their fair share of scrutiny from the media while WRs Diontae Johnson and George Pickens have been criticized for not going hard on every snap and their frequent attitude fluctuations.
One player who has seemingly been forgotten about this season for the Pittsburgh Steelers is DL Larry Ogunjobi, who re-signed with the team this offseason on a three-year deal worth $28.7 million. The deal came off a bit rich at the time as Ogunjobi underwhelmed in 2022, posting 48 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 11 quarterback hits. He was notably playing through foot and knee injuries all season, providing optimism that coming off a full offseason to rehab and get healthy would lead to us seeing a new and improved Ogunjobi in 2023.
Ogunjobi has largely underwhelmed this season as well for Pittsburgh, posting 33 total tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks, six quarterback hits, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and two pass deflections. He hasn’t recorded a single solo tackle in his last five games and doesn’t have a sack since Week Seven against the Los Angeles Rams. Chris Hoke, while on The Cook & Joe Show on Thursday, said that the defensive lineman’s lack of technique has been a big reason why he’s vanished in the last several weeks, making a minimal impact for Pittsburgh’s defense.
“When you get paid that kind of money, they’re paying you to produce,” Hoke said on The Cook & Joe Show. “And we talked about this in the past and he’s a big, strong, powerful guy. He’s explosive. Technique is below the line. And it’s one of those things where he doesn’t play with his hands all the time.
“He’ll make a play and then he’ll disappear for a long period of time because of his technique. When you try to make plays, you’re not gonna consistently make plays. You may make one here or there, but largely, you’re gonna get tangled up and get stuck.”
Ogunjobi largely underwhelmed in 2022 with his production relative to the $8 million he signed for on the one-year pact. Almost one year through the three-year deal he inked in the offseason, the results have relatively been the same. Ogunjobi often disappears during games as he will fail to defeat blocks and get home to the passer. He will often try and rip through the opponent’s shoulder attempting to make a play rather than patterning his rush, setting up the blocker and executing a well-timed move to defeat the block cleanly.
As Dave Bryan of Steelers Depot mentioned in the contract details with Ogunjobi, Pittsburgh has a potential out in his contract next season should it want to move on from him after one year. With a cap charge of $13,283,333 in 2024 while playing 68% of the defensive snaps and rookie DL Keeanu Benton being a more impactful player on both run- and passing-down situations, perhaps Pittsburgh could explore moving on from Ogunjobi after just one year on his new deal as a cap casualty.
He is being paid to be this team’s second-best defensive lineman behind Cameron Heyward, expected to fill the role that Stephon Tuitt and Javon Hargrave did in the past. While his play hasn’t been egregiously bad by any means, he has been leaving a lot to be desired, putting Pittsburgh in position to potentially have to make a tough call on his future with the team this offseason.
