With the recent retirement of Steelers defensive end Tuitt, here is a ranking of the four in-house options to replace him.
Stephon Tuitt officially announced his retirement from the NFL. While losing a player like that is never easy, the team luckily has a few options that could realistically replace him. Luckily, the defensive line is one of the deeper positions on the team, so finding a replacement could come from the current group on the roster. Here is a ranking of the in-house options that the Steelers can replace Tuitt with.
Steelers replacement #4
While Tyson Alualu is the longest-tenured option of the names listed here, I find it hard to believe that he ultimately settles in as the replacement for Tuitt. The simple reason is due to Alualu having become a great nose tackle for this defense. While he could switch to an end role, why try to fix something that isn’t broken?
While Alualu was originally signed as an end, he has played far better since he moved inside. Asking him to go back to an end role isn’t the end of the world, but it would take away from some of the dominance that he has shown. As well, it would leave the nose tackle room extremely shallow.
Finally, at his age, expecting Alualu to play the lion’s share of the starting defensive end snaps seems unlikely. He likely benefits from a reduced snap count, which isn’t something that he would get playing at the end spot. While Alualu wouldn’t be a bad replacement on paper, the ripple effect that he would have by moving positions makes it hard to buy him as Tuitt’s replacement.
Steelers replacement #3
A relative surprise from the draft last season, Isaiahh Loudermilk was a shocking selection. The Steelers traded up for him despite most not viewing him that highly and he joined a crowded defensive line room. Injuries forced him into action sooner than most thought he would have to see the field, but he mostly held his own.
He is second to last on this list due to his limitations as a player. While a solid run defender, Loudermilk offers next to nothing as a pass rusher. He can see an increased look in base defense but expecting him to replicate Tuitt’s ability as a pass rusher would be disastrous. He needs to prove himself as a pass rusher more before he can be counted on to take on Tuitt’s role entirely.
While Loudermilk not being a great replacement for Tuitt seems disappointing on paper, it isn’t the end of the world. This opens his path to seeing similar playing time as he did last season, even if he is only being used during base defense. I expect Loudermilk to see a bump in snaps even if he isn’t penciled in to replace Tuitt.
Steelers replacement #2
The newest name on this list, DeMarvin Leal getting selected in the third round seemed to point to the fact that Tuitt wasn’t returning this year. While some argued that he was simply too good of a value to pass on, Leal’s ability to get after the quarterback seemed to make him a good insurance policy in case Tuitt departed.
While I want to give the rookie the nod as the most likely to replace Tuitt, I think he needs to work on his run defense before he can be labeled as the next starter for this unit. While his ability to sack the quarterback is impressive and should allow him to see the field sooner than later, his inability to stop the run will also limit him early on.
All of this said I do think that Leal can see the field early in his career, but he can’t be penciled in to take on Tuitt’s entire job. His run defense will be a liability early on until his weight gets better and his technique improves. He may start taking on some of Tuitt’s responsibilities midway through the season, but for now, I expect Leal to not quite be who they want replacing him full-time.
Steelers replacement #1
Anyone that watched the team last year should know who the obvious replacement should be for Tuitt, as Chris Wormley was essentially his replacement last season. While not as elite as Tuitt is, Wormley more than held his own. He was consistently sound in his defense and even made a splash as a pass rusher, something he hadn’t really done before.
While Wormley was nothing more than a backup before last year, he was forced into a starting role due to the surplus of injuries across the line. While he is no Tuitt, he was one of the more promising players from a position that mostly struggled. He put up some career numbers last year, and while some regression could be coming, there is little reason to believe he will suddenly be a liability.
The only scenario where I could see Wormley yielding playing time as outlined above. Leal is a talented pass rusher, and he could steal some of Tuitt’s sub-package snaps eventually. Until that point though, this can and should be Wormely’s job for the taking. Expect to see him play as he did last year for the team now that he is the full-time starter.
While the retirement of Tuitt isn’t ideal, he did what was best for him. The team luckily has options to replace him though, and they have some time to sort out who they will turn to as his replacement. These four in-house options all have a legitimate chance to replace the retiring Tuitt for the Steelers.