Steelers who deserves a lump of coal for their 2023 performance

The Steelers are still waiting on Larry Ogunjobi

Following the retirement of Stephon Tuitt, the Steelers were quick to sign veteran Larry Ogunjobi to an unconventional one-year deal. Injuries slowed him down in his first year here, and while he did put together a few solid games, his stint wasn’t spectacular. Because of this, it was a little shocking to see the team ink him to a three-year deal in the offseason.

It seemed pretty clear what the hope was. Ogunjobi came to the Steelers late and had to get up to speed. A full season to rehab and get acclimated to his role could allow him to return to his pre-injury form, a talented pass rusher that would aid this defense.

That potential came at a cost though. The defensive line is a premier position in the league, so the Steelers weren’t going to get Ogunjobi for cheap. Despite a ho-hum first year, Ogunjobi got a slight pay raise as well as the multiple years worked into his contract. The expectation was for him to return to his impact player status.

That once again didn’t happen, as Ogunjobi has continued to be a lackluster option for this defense. To be clear, he hasn’t been a liability in anyway, as he has locked down his starter role for the majority of the season. He lacks the pass rush that he showed earlier in his career though, and his run defense has been average at best.

Given his salary, the Steelers seemingly wanted more out of the veteran. Again, he isn’t a disaster on the line, but he has failed once again to make a considerable impact on this defense. Because of this and the hefty deal he landed a year ago, he should be seeing some coal this year.