The Pittsburgh Steelers released defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi last week in a move that saved the team $7 million in salary cap space. A day later, Ogunjobi was suspended six games for violating the NFL's PED policy. It's unknown whether the Steelers knew about the upcoming suspension, or if the release was just based on the fact the Steelers weren't able to stop anyone from running wild on their defense at the end of the 2024 season. Either way, the release of Ogunjobi left a hole to fill on the defensive front.
According to a post on X from Blake Baratz, the President of Team IFA, his client Daniel Ekuale, is signing a contract with the Steelers.
Ekuale comes to the Steelers after spending the past four seasons with the New England Patriots. Prior to his stint with the Patriots, he played one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and spent his rookie season with the Cleveland Browns. Ekuale spent most of his career as a backup, only starting five games before last season when he started 16 games. In those 16 games, he recorded 53 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 1 sack.
Ekuale, 31, was an undrafted free agent out of Washington State. He didn't make the Browns roster out of training camp, but was signed to the practice squad and ended up playing in seven games as a rookie. From 2019 to 2021, he bounced between the Patriots’ active roster and the practice squad. In 2022, he eventually landed a two-year contract from the Patriots and found a home on the active roster.
While the signing of Ekuale isn't the splash that many fans were hoping for, it should give the team a little bit of security heading towards the 2025 NFL Draft. The two biggest holes remaining on the Steelers’ roster are defensive line, and of course, quarterback. There is a pretty high likelihood that either of those positions will be the Steelers’ choice in the first round.
During the Steelers final two games against the Baltimore Ravens in 2024 they allowed FIVE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN YARDS. 519. 299 of those yards coming during their loss in the playoffs. If you flash back to their playoff game against the Buffalo Bills in 2024, they allowed 179 yards on the ground in that loss. Allowing that many yards on the ground is not a recipe for success.
Steelers Fairly Quiet In Free Agency
Pittsburgh lost out on many of the top free agent defensive linemen last week when free agency opened. The market for defensive linemen was much higher than many expected. Milton Williams for instance signed a contract worth $104 million, which was a lot more money than most expected. Williams was once considered a top priority for the Steelers. Former Steelers third-round draft pick Javon Hargrave was another name that many believed could land back in Pittsburgh, but the 32-year-old landed a $30 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings.
Local beat writer Gerry Dulac wrote on X last week that the Steelers were interested and wanted to sign Javon Kinlaw. Kinlaw would've been a much bigger splash than Ekuale and would've allowed the Steelers more draft flexibility. But Kinlaw ended up signing with the Washington Commanders on a massive deal paying him 45 million over three years. Despite the signing it's possible Omar Khan could still be interested in adding more on the defensive line through free agency. A name to watch is 37-year old Calais Campbell. Even though age is a concern he is a player who would help clog up the middle on rushing downs.
