Like Isaiahh Loudermilk, the Pittsburgh Steelers are right where we are: sitting at home being mad. Although they managed to make the playoffs in 2023, they lost in the first round. It has now been seven years without a postseason victory, the longest drought in franchise history. The question is what to do next.
The first step is always taking stock of what happened and what is left. That’s part of the exit meeting process, in which coaches meet with each player. They discuss the season and their expectations moving forward—and potentially their role within it.
While we might not know all the details about what goes on between head coach Mike Tomlin and his players during these exit meetings, we do know how we would conduct those meetings if they were let up to us. So here are the Depot’s exit meetings for the Steelers’ roster following the 2023 season.
Player: Isaiahh Loudermilk
Position: Defensive End
Experience: 3 Years
Third-year veteran Isaiahh Loudermilk played 181 snaps in 16 games last season, missing one due to injury. He logged roughly the same percentage of snaps in the games in which he played as the previous season. One key difference in his playing time, though, is the fact that he spent several games a healthy scratch during the 2022 season. This past year, he spent time dressing ahead of 2022 third-round pick DeMarvin Leal, though more on that later.
The fact that he only played 181 snaps despite the six-game absence of Cameron Heyward is not encouraging. He played 288 snaps during his rookie season in 2021, for comparison, though naturally the circumstances change each year.
Three years into his career, Loudermilk appears to be at or near his ceiling. He is a replacement-level rotational player. On the whole, he can give you serviceable play in the basic 3-4 defensive end repertoire but little else. Don’t expect him to rush the passer effectively very often. He is most reliable as the decoy on stunts.
Notably, Loudermilk did not gain significant playing time during Heyward’s six-game absence. He received a similar workload compared to the majority of the rest of his season. While he saw more snaps in the opener due to Heyward’s injury, he saw fewer in the final games. Between the final two games of the regular season and the one postseason game, he played 10 snaps.
The 2024 season marks the final year in Loudermilk’s rookie contract. Armon Watts proved a better rotational end. Leal possesses a good deal more talent and could pass him again this year, but the former must remember why he lost his playing time in the first place. He proved unreliable, without assignment discipline, and reportedly seems to need to take his job more seriously.
There’s not much more meat on the bone here. I think Loudermilk is who he is at this point, which is a thoroughly replaceable depth piece. There’s no shame in that, but he hasn’t made himself non-expendable. He must fight for his roster spot each season, and 2024 offers more of the same for him.
