Player: DT Montravius Adams
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The Steelers may get DT Montravius Adams back, and at a critical juncture. They have been wearing thin along the defensive front, and Adams will provide critical reinforcements. He is the closest thing they have on the roster to a true nose tackle, and they have some rushing offenses coming up.
Steelers DT Montravius Adams has missed the past four games since going down with an injury against the New York Jets. With the benefit of a bye week, he has now had five weeks to heal and looks to make his return. Although he remains on the Reserve/Injured List, he practiced in full yesterday.
The Steelers can’t get him back soon enough, given their depth issues along the front. The Bengals might not be a very good running team, but they will need Montravius Adams soon. On deck are Nick Chubb, Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Isiah Pacheco, back-to-back-to-back-to-back. And don’t lose sight of Chase Brown for the Bengals, who has over 800 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns.
The Steelers’ run defense has been hit or miss this season. They held the Browns to 85 yards on 27 attempts, but allowed three rushing touchdowns. That includes one scramble, but Nick Chubb punched it in twice. I saw Miles Killebrew and Mark Robinson in on the goal line. I’m sure they would have liked Montravius Adams out there.
Now in his fourth season with the Steelers, Adams has eight tackles, including one for loss, and a sack over seven games. He logged just over 100 defensive snaps during that time, now playing behind second-year Keeanu Benton.
But without Adams as valuable depth, the Steelers are asking Isaiahh Loudermilk and Dean Lowry to do things that shouldn’t be asked of them. And they are placing a bigger burden on Benton than they would like to.
He might not draw a lot of attention on the TV screen, but Montravius Adams could make a difference when he gets back. Both for his own play and for the ripple effect that added depth will have. They can certainly use him down the stretch, so it’s good he is on his way back at a crucial time.
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.
