6 sleepers you should be closely watching at Steelers OTAs

Can Steelers Tre Norwood return to form?

At one point in time, Tre Norwood looked like a versatile chess piece for this defense. He looked like a steal of a seventh-round pick, and long-term he could shift into the slot or serve as an additional defender in the secondary. I was excited to see him grow in his second season.

Unfortunately, Norwood had a lackluster second campaign and now finds himself buried on the safety depth chart. He was effectively phased out last season, and when he did see the field, his play was poor. Specifically, his tackling was an issue, and it made him an ineffective roster member.

I would argue that Norwood is on the outside looking in right now, and if he continues to struggle, he will likely slip further down the depth chart. Those negatives aside, the slot defender is wide open right now, and Norwwod could provide himself as an option there. There aren’t many great options there right now, and Norwood has some success there as a rookie.

I don’t expect much noise from him early on, but I am closely monitoring him to hopefully avoid any negative news. He isn’t receiving first-team slot work, but I would hope to see him join that rotation sooner than later. To me, that is his only path to a roster spot.