4 defensive tackles the Steelers could trade for after losing Stephon Tuitt
By Tommy Jaggi
The Steelers lost defensive lineman, Stephon Tuitt, for the remainder of the season with a torn pectoral. Here are four players they could sign to help fill his shoes.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have defeated the Los Angeles Chargers on the road in week 6, but now they have bigger fish to fry. Heading into their week 7 bye week, the Steelers discovered that they will be without defensive tackle Stephon Tuitt for the remainder of the 2019 season.
Tuitt suffered a pectoral injury against the Chargers that removed him from the game early in the first quarter. The 6th-year defensive lineman was easily on track for the best season of his career. He registered 22 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks and 7 quarterback knockdowns through just over 5 games of play in 2019.
However, even statistics don’t tell the whole tale of Tuitt’s dominance. The former Notre Dame alumni was finally healthy this season – and it showed. Tuitt was impossible to block in one-on-one situations, as he continually attacked opposing quarterbacks.
Stephon Tuitt played 79 percent of defensive snaps against the Bengals and 86 percent of defensive snaps against the Ravens before suffering a pectoral injury.
There is no doubt that Pittsburgh has some massive shoes to fill, as Tuitt has been one of the best players in a black and yellow uniform this season. His 89.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus was good for the 6th best interior defensive lineman in the NFL.
The Steelers signed former backup L.T. Walton to the 53-man roster, but will that be enough to get the job done? Pittsburgh could look to pull off a trade before the October 29th trade deadline.
Here are four defensive linemen who would make sense in Pittsburgh: