One of the most underrated free agent signings in recent Pittsburgh Steelers history is DT Tyson Alualu. Alualu signed a one-year deal in with the Steelers in 2017 and played six seasons for the Black and Gold.
Alualu was never really a star in Pittsburgh but did his job well and was a reason the Steelers had a good defensive line when he was healthy. However, Alualu didn’t plan on signing with Pittsburgh as a free agent after playing seven seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars as he explained recently to Arthur Moats.
“To be honest, I came to Pittsburgh only because my agent told me to come to Pittsburgh,” Alualu told Moats. “So I came here thinking, ‘Oh, I’m not signing here, let me just do it because my agent did.’ And it was a whole different story once I walked in the building. My first meeting was with Coach [John] Mitch[ell]. I was with Ray, who was probably sixth grade at the time, and we left that meeting thinking like, ‘Man, this is a great coach to play for. This is the place where I’ve been dreaming of since I was coming out of the league.’ And the rest is history. I talked to Coach [Mike] Tomlin, Kev[in] [Colbert] after that, and I knew leaving the meeting, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m [going to] sign here for sure.’ And to me, that was the best decision I made in my career.”
It ended up being great for both sides. Alualu had arguably the best year of his career in 2017, tallying four sacks (a career high), 39 tackles, and seven tackles for a loss. Alualu and Pittsburgh extended their relationship after 2017 and Alualu played a big part in Pittsburgh’s run defense performing at a high level.
While he normally rotated, he did a good job of spelling DTs Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt and also helped mitigate the loss of NT JaVon Hargrave in 2020 after Hargrave left for the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency.
Alualu was asked to do plenty of different things on the Steelers’ defensive line and he did them all well. After he fractured his ankle early in the 2021 season, Pittsburgh really felt it. Losing both him and Tuitt in the same season led to Pittsburgh’s run defense being shambolic as the Steelers allowed 143.8 rushing yards per game, dead last in the NFL. Alualu came back for one more season in Pittsburgh, which was uneventful. However, it is notable that with him back Pittsburgh’s run defense improved to ninth best in the NFL, even if Alualu only played 27 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.
He ended his Steelers career after six seasons in the Steel City, tallying 158 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and nine pass breakups. Alualu played one more season in the NFL after his time with the Steelers with the Detroit Lions in 2023.
Alualu won’t go down as one of the best defensive linemen in franchise history. But he was a really good player who the Steelers could use right now. Playing with Heyward, Tuitt, and Hargrave led to Alualu flying under the radar, but the absence of a steady hand like Alualu has been felt in recent years. Hopefully, Pittsburgh can find another player like him who gives 100 percent and provides great depth.
