Pittsburgh Steelers veteran defensive lineman, Chris Wormley is likely out for the season after suffering a knee injury this past weekend. In dire need of some depth along the defensive line, general manager Omar Khan signed DT Jonathan Mitchell off the New York Jets practice squad on Tuesday. Mitchell was a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He played 77 snaps across four games in his rookie season.
Stuck behind a deep, talented defensive line unit in New York, Mitchell has been stashed on the practice squad in 2022. Now, he’ll get his chance in Pittsburgh. The Steelers’ nose tackle position has arguably been its biggest weakness in 2022. Veteran Tyson Alualu is a shell of his old self, failing to fully recover from his recent injuries. Most recently, he fractured his ankle in Week 2 of the 2021 season, forcing him to miss the rest of the year.
Due to his struggles early in 2022, head coach Mike Tomlin made the difficult decision to bench the veteran. Montravius Adams was the beneficiary, as he was elevated to the starting lineup. His snap numbers indicate it’s still been a revolving door at the position though, as he hasn’t exactly been exceptional either. Cam Heyward had to step in and play some snaps at nose tackle in Week 14, something he doesn’t exactly enjoy doing.
Even youngsters DeMarvin Leal and Isaiahh Loudermilk saw snaps at nose tackle on Sunday. Those two will likely get more snaps with Wormley out for the season. With Wormley out and Alualu not being effective anymore, it opens up a great opportunity for the Steelers’ newest acquisition. While Mitchell was just poached off another team’s practice squad, he may get an immediate chance because of the aforementioned circumstances. Via Jeff Hathhorn of 93.7 The Fan, Marshall discussed how the Steelers defense is similar to the Jets’:
“It’s a chance to show a reason why I’m in the NFL. They [defenses] are all kind of similar, it was all about get-off with the Jets,” Marshall said to reporters via 93.7 The Fan. “Here, it’s the same thing, just attacking the man instead of the area.”
That should certainly help ease his transition into learning Pittsburgh’s defense. Now, he’ll essentially get an audition in the next month to prove he can be an NFL lineman for the Steelers. Adams was this guy last year, poached off the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad in the middle of the year. His play at the end of the season earned him a two-year contract extension with Pittsburgh.
Many Jets fans responded to Field Yates’ breaking news of the move by congratulating Steelers fans. Essentially, they feel the black and gold got a good one. Again, the Jets defensive line room is just insanely loaded with talent and depth. Let’s hope they indeed got a good one, as Pittsburgh needs some young, refreshing talent along that aging defensive line.
More must-reads: