A potential replacement for Steelers Damontae Kazee
By Josh De Luca
Damontae Kazee has a serious wrist/arm injury. Here is a potential replacement the Pittsburgh Steelers could consider after finalizing their roster.
The Pittsburgh Steelers concluded the preseason this past Sunday with a 19-9 victory over the Detroit Lions. For the most part, it was a successful game, as a lot of players put it all out on the field in one last attempt to impress the coaching staff.
However, a few players got dinged up due to the physical nature of the game. Both TJ Watt and Dionte Johnson left the game in the first half due to injuries.
Thankfully, neither of these injuries were anything serious, as neither Watt nor Johnson are expected to miss any time.
The same can’t be said about new safety Damontae Kazee. Kazee also went down with an injury Sunday afternoon, after awkwardly making contact on a downfield tackle with Lions running back Justin Jackson.
The injury looked serious instantly, as Kazee was seen writhing in pain while grabbing at his wrist. Multiple reports have said that Kazee’s wrist injury will require surgery and likely be season-ending.
This is a big blow to the Steelers defense, as Kazee was having a great preseason, and it was rumored that the Steelers were going to run some 3-safety packages just to get him on the field more.
Steelers need to act fast and find a safety replacement
Both Tre Norwood and Miles Killebrew are likely in-house options to fill the void at safety. However, neither has much experience playing big-time defensive snaps as both Norwood and Killebrew made the majority of their plays on special teams.
Surprisingly, the Philadelphia Eagles made an interesting move early Monday morning, releasing veteran safety Jaquiski Tartt.
Tartt, a second-round pick back in the 2015 NFL draft, has played his whole career on the San Francisco 49ers prior to this offseason. Tartt started 64 games over 7 seasons with the 49ers and made a name for himself as a solid starting safety.
The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for Pittsburgh, as Tartt could slide right into the new hole at safety. At first glance, signing Tartt looks to be a no-brainer.
Cap space isn’t an issue for the Steelers, as they currently still have almost 10 million dollars at their disposal for this coming season. Tartt also would likely be a one-year deal worth no more than a few million dollars.
Jaquiski Tartt also has a lot of prior playoff experience under his belt, starting 6 playoff games with the 49ers including Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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This experience and veteran leadership can come in handy on a team looking to get over the Wild Card hump and make some noise in the postseason.
Jaquiski Tartt is a well-known and experienced player who will likely have multiple teams interested, so if the Steelers want to make a move on the 30-year-old safety, time is going to be of the essence.