When you splurge on three players, you better find some bargains for the rest of your defense.
I'm thinking the Steelers just found one in Larry Ogunjobi. I don't have access to the medicals, and I wouldn't know what to do with them if I did, but 80% of Ogunjobi for, say, the final seven games, would be fine with me. That would be an upgrade and worth whatever they're paying the man on his one-year deal.
Did you watch the Steelers' defensive line last season?
Did you know that Stephon Tuitt suddenly retired, leaving a giant hole on the left side of that line?
Ogunjobi, who turned 28 earlier this month, was one of the better defensive linemen in the NFL last season. Imagine him relatively healthy, playing a full year. That could happen, too. And he should be highly motivated on a one-year, prove-it deal after his $40.5 million free agent contract with the Chicago Bears disintegrated two months ago because Ogunjobi failed his physical.
That's the scary part for the Steelers. A story out of The Times of Northwest Indiana reported that Ogunjobi is attempting to return from surgery to repair the Lisfranc joint in his right foot, and that such injuries can be complicated and difficult to overcome.
Presumably, concerns related to the injury are why Ogunjobi failed his physical in Chicago.
Worst case, he doesn't play a down here and moves on. It's only a one-year commitment. And again, I ask: Did you watch the Steelers defensive line last season? Without Tuitt and Tyson Alualu, it fell apart. It was the biggest reason behind a historically hideous run defense.
Ogunjobi, meanwhile, was thriving on a one-year deal with the Bengals (if he signs with the Ravens next year, he will have completed his tour of the AFC North). He had seven sacks, 16 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for loss, that last figure putting him behind only two other defensive tackles in the NFL: Aaron Donald and Cam Heyward.
Pro Football Focus didn't have Ogunjobi rated highly as a run defender, but he did make 49 tackles and at 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, with uncommon quickness, he does have a history of tying up defenders so other guys (Devin Bush? Myles Jack?) can make plays.
Nobody in Cleveland complained about Ogunjobi's run defense, and he must have been doing something right in Cincy because the Bengals' run defense improved from 29th to fifth, allowing just 102.5 yards per game. The Steelers, a franchise that built its reputation largely by smashing the run, finished dead last in that category last season, allowing an unsightly 146.1 rushing yards per game.
This is the latest in a string of low-risk, potentially high-reward signings for the Steelers this offseason. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not. Low-risk signings can turn into low-production signings, after all, but there's only so much money to go around.
Heyward, T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick have gobbled up most of the cash on defense, leaving the Steelers to take a bunch of chances on other guys. Hopefully, they outsmarted the rest of the league on some of them.
The Bills didn't appear to want cornerback Levi Wallace that badly, so the Steelers made a bid and reeled him in.
Nobody appeared to want strong safety Terrell Edmunds that badly, so the Steelers took him back on a puny contract.
Few thought the Steelers had a shot at Myles Jack, but they landed him for $16 million over two years and could opt out after one, according to spotrac.com.
A reasonably healthy Ogunjobi could replace Tuitt as a starter but also has the capacity to move up and down the line. His addition means the Steelers likely will begin training camp with a defensive line room of Heyward, Alualu, Ogunjobi, Chris Wormley (seven sacks), Montravious Adams, Isaiahh Loudermilk and rookie DeMarvin Leal.
It's an interesting mix of youth and age, not free from major questions but also not looking too bad from here.
Especially if you remember last year.
