Like Montravius Adams, 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: Montravius Adams
Position: Defensive Tackle
Experience:7 Years
Montravius Adams lost his starting job last season while out due to an ankle injury. But the circumstances merely sped up the inevitable rather than creating a new variable. Even he admitted later in the season that the Steelers could have started rookie Keeanu Benton from Day 1.
Be that as it may, Adams still represented himself well. He held down the starting nose tackle job for the first half of the season and provided solid play. That’s why the Steelers re-signed him in 2022 after plucking him off the Saints’ practice squad a year earlier.
Adams consistently logged 40-50 snaps per game prior to his injury on the second snap against the Tennessee Titans. He missed the next four games, reduced to half that workload or less upon his return. Benton used that time during his injury to really establish himself, earning the right to stay there.
The Steelers believe Benton can be a dominant player in the very near future. Adams is a solid and reliable veteran, but he won’t have much of a market. He turns 29 years old later this year and is coming off a benching. There’s not a huge market for that.
Personally, I believe the Steelers should try to re-sign him. He may come as cheaply as a Veteran Salary Benefit deal at this point, which is still a good sum. The minimum salary for a seven-year veteran is $1,210,000 plus a $167,500 signing bonus. Adams’ previous contract averaged $2,500,000 over two years, so it’s not a dramatic pay cut.
One way or another, the Steelers need to address this area of the roster. Outside of Benton, they lack depth at the defensive tackle, or rather nose tackle position. They can easily add another name in free agency, but if they can get Adams cheap as well, why not?
