PITTSBURGH — When Cam Heyward went down, the focus immediately shifted toward Larry Ogunjobi, one of the players who needed to step up considerably. Suffering from a foot injury, however, Ogunjobi’s presence was not expected to be significant, but it ended up being much more than that. He largely dominated the game against the Browns, taking Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller to work. That’s not easy to do, and yet Ogunjobi, on seemingly one good foot, did it like it was nothing. That’s something the Steelers needed.
The Steelers saw enough from Ogunjobi to give him a lot of snaps with Heyward out. Despite the foot injury, Ogunjobi’s snaps ticked up from a week ago against San Francisco. Mike Tomlin relayed that was intentional and likely due to his level of play.
“Larry Ogunjobi played a lot of snaps,” Tomlin said. “He had to absorb a big-time responsibility because we were playing without Cam. And there’s a lot of guys to be congratulated for their efforts and playmaking.”
Ogunjobi is a silent man to the media. He doesn’t talk very often, but it usually means something when he does. Leading up to the game, Ogunjobi seemed to be all about business, even when it began to seem uncertain if he would play after missing practice on Friday.
But after the game, Ogunjobi feels like he and the defensive line made a statement against the Browns. As he noted when referencing the last defensive touchdown, big players make big plays.
“That is a big boost for us,” Ogunjobi said. “Big players make big plays in big-time games. Just to see those two come up in a moment where we really needed it is just special.”
Ogunjobi himself made his name felt along with those players. There was never a question of ability with Ogunjobi, who, on my first watch, just played his best game in a Steelers uniform on Monday. When he is healthy, Ogunjobi can be the playmaker the Steelers need now. He has a solid burst off the line of scrimmage and outstanding balance, and the power element of his game pops off the tape. The game-wrecker version of Ogunjobi is the guy who showed up against the Browns.
The Steelers will need more of that from him in the future with many younger, depth players around him. But if Ogunjobi continues to play to that level, even without Cam Heyward, the Steelers could have a real interior pass rush. Ogunjobi is a guy who can do a little bit of everything. Now, he must show he can become the alpha dog over multiple games without Heyward.
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