The Pittsburgh Steelers have their work cut out for them this offseason as they try to build a contending roster. No longer in a “reloading” stage, they are now a team looking for answers rather than filling gaps. After another disappointing season in 2023, we look back on the roster as we move into the next phase.
Position: Nose Tackle
Total Positional Figure: 3
Additions: 0
Deletions: 0
Players Retained:
Under Contract:
Keanu Benton: A second-round pick last year, Benton showed immense progress as a rookie. Though he only recorded one sack, his tape proved quite revealing. He was a one-on-one mismatch for most centers he faced. Head coach Mike Tomlin believes he has the potential to dominate sooner rather than later. The Steelers are hoping for sooner.
Jonathan Marshall: A 2021 sixth-round pick by the New York Jets, Marshall is now a two-year practice squad veteran. He checks a lot of boxes on paper but hasn’t proven able to make that jump to the 53-man roster. The Steelers like him enough to keep bringing him back, but with three NFL seasons under his belt he has almost nothing to show for it.
Pending Free Agents:
Montravius Adams: The Steelers signed Adams to a two-year, $5 million contract in 2022. He spent time with the team the year before after the Steelers poached him from the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad. On the whole, he played acceptably well if largely unremarkably.
Injuries robbed him of four games in the middle of the 2023 season. When he returned, Benton retained the starting job. In 416 snaps (a career high), he recorded 26 tackles, including two for loss. He also produced one forced fumble and a pass defensed.
Additions: N/A
Deletions: N/A
Offseason Strategy:
Some of the players I included in the defensive end column also possess the ability to play defensive tackle. The lines blurred long ago, especially for 3-4 teams playing in nickel a lot. “Defensive ends” are more defensive tackles, as the Steelers officially list Cameron Heyward.
I don’t anticipate a big market for Adams, so the Steelers could re-sign him on a cheap deal. I think he is a solid player who simply lost his starting job to a very talented rookie. He still offers quality depth, especially if on a minimal-risk, one-year deal.
Still, the Steelers could very well attack this position in the draft. They don’t have anybody behind Benton, and you can find plenty of versatile players these days. True run-stuffing nose tackles are few and far between. Most of the top candidates will also give you snaps in nickel packages.
They’re likely to look to veteran free agency as well, but I don’t know that they attack this hard. They bargain hunted last year and brought in Armon Watts and Breiden Fehoko. Fehoko didn’t impress the way they seemed to anticipate, though, and he’s no longer on the team.
