Player: DL Logan Lee
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: The prospect of carrying seven defensive linemen again this year took another hit with the signing of Tyler Matakevich. The veteran inside linebacker is a special-teams ace, and such a role takes priority over a lineman who won’t dress. That is bad news for rookie sixth-round pick Logan Lee, who will struggle to crack the top six linemen.
Hopefully, if you’re reading this, you’ve already read yesterday’s stock watch. That way, if you’re struggling to figure out how an inside linebacker affects the numbers at another position, you already know how that works, and I don’t have to explain it all again. Logan Lee was already going to have a hard time making the roster, even without this move. But adding another rosterable player like Tyler Matakevich, with special teams value, makes it that much harder.
Now, Matakevich isn’t necessarily a roster lock, but they likely didn’t sign him if they don’t expect to use him. As for Lee, we’re probably looking at a player who wouldn’t even dress this year, anyway. His ceiling right now is the sixth defensive lineman, and the seventh might be more realistic.
The Steelers drafted Logan Lee in the sixth round, but they already have several bodies at the position. You already have five spots secure with Cameron Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Larry Ogunjobi, Montravius Adams, and Dean Lowry. Then you still have DeMarvin Leal, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Breiden Fehoko, and Lee to sort through.
At the very most, only two of those final four players can make the 53-man roster realistically. But carrying seven defensive linemen for a 3-4 defense is rare, and the 2023 season was an exception. The Steelers wouldn’t have drafted Logan Lee if he didn’t have a chance to make the team, but that doesn’t mean his odds are great.
With Matakevich, the Steelers are more likely to keep five or even six inside linebackers. They are more likely to carry eight or even nine linebackers, possibly 10. In doing so, carrying an extra defensive lineman would be extremely difficult. So Lee, Leal, Loudermilk, and Fehoko are all fighting for potentially just one roster spot. And the likelihood of that being the last spot for a defensive lineman increased with this signing. The pie slices are the same size, but there is one fewer than before.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
