Player: DT Montravius Adams
Stock Value: Sold
Reasoning: The Steelers announced the release of veteran DT Montravius Adams after adding two defensive linemen in the 2025 NFL Draft. Entering his ninth NFL season, he saw his playing time decline last year. Wanting to lower the age of the defensive line room, the Steelers clearly viewed him and his salary as a luxury. As likely as not, they also did him a favor by releasing him now.
After deepening the defensive line room in the draft, the Steelers created some space in more ways than one by releasing veteran Montravius Adams. While his release doesn’t save them a ton of money after displacement, it could benefit both parties.
The Steelers timed the release of Adams to coincide with the end of the compensatory free agent window. After the window closes, teams can sign veteran free agents without incurring a hit against their compensatory formula. That’s why they signed WR Robert Woods now. So letting Adams hit the market now gives him a chance to be among the first defensive tackles teams consider.
The Steelers originally signed Montravius Adams during the 2021 season, and he showed some good traits. On the whole, he hasn’t been a bad player by any means, but not an irreplaceable one. It appears the team wants to go in another direction though, and not just in terms of age and salary.
Montravius Adams was never a traditional nose tackle in the Steelers’ mold. Now, neither are Keeanu Benton nor Yahya Black, who may convert to DT full-time after Adams’ release. But they are more physical players at the point of contact, and that’s what they feel they need.
Releasing Adams now clears the deck for the Steelers to get a proper look at their young players. They still have some former draft picks they want to figure out, with even DeMarvin Leal in that discussion. But they also have Logan Lee, and now Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black. And, of course, there’s always the possibility that they look back around and re-sign Adams. He’ll soon be 30 and I don’t necessarily think he will be in great demand.
With the new league year underway and the Steelers turning their roster over, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract.
There is still a long way to go before we know what this Steelers team is going to look like. The dust is settled on both free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft. What other moves might the team make, perhaps unexpected acquisitions or departures? If they traded for one player, they could certainly trade for another, or trade one away. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
