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Steelers Plan to Welcome Stephon Tuitt Back

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It’s been very quite on the Stephon Tuitt front for several months. There came a point during the season where Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin just stopped even mentioning Tuitt, and reporters stopped asking.

Steelers President Art Rooney II said during a press conference a few weeks ago that he planned to speak with Tuitt in the coming weeks about his future. Today Steelers General Manage Kevin Colbert confirmed that Tuitt and the Steelers have been in contact and the team wishes to welcome him back.

Stephon had a tough season last year, battling through a knee injury. He obviously had a personal situation he had to deal with. We just hope for the best as he tries to come back, and be a part of the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Colbert said
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Colbert referred to the Steelers as ‘very open’ to having him return in 2022.

Truthfully the Steelers desperately need Tuitt to return. Everyone always says it would be nice to have 53 Cameron Heyward’s on the field. Well Tuitt is of the same mold. He’s more physically gifted than Heyward even. He’s just had struggles staying healthy. His rookie season in 2014 is the only time he appeared in all 16 games. He’s also battled through several injuries that nagged him to the point he wasn’t 100%, but he was good enough to still start.

In 2020 Tuitt had 11.5 sacks, and 10 tackles for a loss while creating 2 fumbles, and 3 batted passes at the line of scrimmage. He has 34.5 sacks on his career and 48 tackles for a loss.

Tuitt’s brother was tragically killed during a hit and run in the off-season. Tuitt rightfully so spent much of the off-season taking care of family, before a knee injury sidelined him before the start of the season.

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I'd cut him and save the money. They don't need him that bad for one more year and they damn well better not even entertain signing him after this year to another contract. His knee was heeled early on and he took the entire season off. He'll just get hurt again and miss time like just about every season since he's been here. His salary just is not justifiable.
 
O think people dismissing him are the same ones that thought replacing AB was going to be simple… Tuitt has more natural ability than even heyward… you don’t cut that guy to save a couple million bucks

If alualu is good to go this year and they resign adams and tuitt plays, the dline is going to be extremely deep … you don’t have to spend a high pick on it yet…
 
TDX27 said:
I'd cut him and save the money. They don't need him that bad for one more year and they damn well better not even entertain signing him after this year to another contract. His knee was heeled early on and he took the entire season off. He'll just get hurt again and miss time like just about every season since he's been here. His salary just is not justifiable.
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I would like you to show me when exactly “his knee was heeled early on”. Link. Proof. You seem to have an intimate knowledge of the inside of the locker room with your words. Show me.
 
I would love to see Tuitt back on the field. He is a terrific player who, along with Alualu, makes the defensive line a strong unit. It also puts guys like Loudermilk, Wormley, Davis, etc. into a more traditional rotational role rather than getting significant snaps.
 
SteelerFan448 said:
I would love to see Tuitt back on the field. He is a terrific player who, along with Alualu, makes the defensive line a strong unit. It also puts guys like Loudermilk, Wormley, Davis, etc. into a more traditional rotational role rather than getting significant snaps.
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I think you'll still see Loudermilk getting a nice proportion of the snaps. He progressed too well last year as a rookie to retard his development by giving him limited snaps. In fact, I think you'll see him in a rotation with Cam and Tuitt. Keeping all three fresher throughout the games and the season.
 
I’d take him back for another year. As others have said, make d line a less priority with everything else we’ve got going on this off-season.
 
SteelerFan448 said:
I would love to see Tuitt back on the field. He is a terrific player who, along with Alualu, makes the defensive line a strong unit. It also puts guys like Loudermilk, Wormley, Davis, etc. into a more traditional rotational role rather than getting significant snaps.
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I treat it like center in the aspect you go into free agency/draft thinking you need to upgrade the position. If he comes back he will need to lessen that cap hit. Those aged year off players carry a concern so they better treat it like he isn't coming back even if he manages to be back.
 
madinsomniac said:
O think people dismissing him are the same ones that thought replacing AB was going to be simple… Tuitt has more natural ability than even heyward… you don’t cut that guy to save a couple million bucks

If alualu is good to go this year and they resign adams and tuitt plays, the dline is going to be extremely deep … you don’t have to spend a high pick on it yet…
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This would be most prudent. Was very disappointed with last year. But no point in throwing out the baby with the bathwater. This is where it is different being on the inside. They are in discussion with the man and no where he is at. They have plenty of holes. No point in creating another.
 
KStilley said:
I'd like to see him back but he has to make a commitment soon. Hopefully before free agency.
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Yeah same here. If he's finally ready, they need him and he's shown when healthy and hungry, he's about as dominant as Heyward.

Use your loss to wreak some havoc on the NFL, big man.
 
He is under contract, and if he is not going to retire, then I welcome him back with open arms. The time off can have 2 outcomes, he misses it so bad that he comes back stronger than ever or he comes back just for the money and half-***** it. If he comes back with the fire, then you can decide next year to keep him or not.
 
Can you trust this guy, thats' the concern I have. I would probably have to move on and use that cap money from his contract to help bring in a quality free agent. Not that Tuitt isn't a quality player when he plays. Availability is the biggest issue here, so I would probably stay away from him.
 
i mean yes the guy usually misses a game or two a season, however save for the situation last year the only years he missed more than 2 were the year he missed 4 and 2019 where he went down after six… before last year he played in 81% of the games in his career, and even counting him missing all 17 games last year he still played in like 70%... bear in mind there is a push to bring in jimmy G, who even if you ignore his time as a backup in New england, has only played in 56% of san frans games in his tenure there at a higher cap hit than tuitt will have

Because the guy eats up double teams they play him 80-90% of the defensive snaps and another 20-30% of the special teams snaps

yes we could cut him, push 5 million into next season and get 9 million in cap savings, but to replace him will probably cost more than 9 million and you still are pushing some out to the future.... so that isnt really saving 9 million.....

Trading for a guy like fletcher cox is going to cost a 4th or maybe a 3rd like they wanted at the deadline... and they probably will want us to let them restructure and have us eat more of his cap space too ....
 
I think you have to question his desire to play. If you love playing, you use it as a positive in your life and to cope with your loss, you don’t take the entire year off.
 
Troglodyte said:
I think you have to question his desire to play. If you love playing, you use it as a positive in your life and to cope with your loss, you don’t take the entire year off.
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I still feel bad he lost his brother and the nature of how it happened. I don't think that is the typical passing.

But yeah of course you have to evaluate the desire. And with an injury in the mix the state of health, did he lose anything in the process. Are you comfy with his salary factoring in the variables. Because with the run defense having a horrible year you want more answers than questions. You have to limit questions if you want to build competitive rosters.
 
SteelBuckeye said:
I think you'll still see Loudermilk getting a nice proportion of the snaps. He progressed too well last year as a rookie to retard his development by giving him limited snaps. In fact, I think you'll see him in a rotation with Cam and Tuitt. Keeping all three fresher throughout the games and the season.
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This.

Tuitt is an additional beast when on the field. Loudermilk is also gonna be good. Imagine adding Jordan Davis to the middle and rotation???
 
Troglodyte said:
I think you have to question his desire to play. If you love playing, you use it as a positive in your life and to cope with your loss, you don’t take the entire year off.
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I've questioned it some myself, but we on the outside don't know what's really going on either. Let's maybe give him the benefit of the doubt if they felt comfortable enough to announce it like this. They're already locked in so see what happens next season and evaluate from there.
 
slashsteel said:
I still feel bad he lost his brother and the nature of how it happened. I don't think that is the typical passing.
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Yeah, also heard they were extremely close. He's probably thought of a thousand different scenarios about how it could've been avoided and likely how he could've done something different, but that's the ****** nature of a traumatic loss and grief. Hope he's going to a grief counselor/group where they can help him deal with it. Tragic. Ugh.
 
Steelworth said:
Yeah, also heard they were extremely close. He's probably thought of a thousand different scenarios about how it could've been avoided and likely how he could've done something different, but that's the ****** nature of a traumatic loss and grief. Hope he's going to a grief counselor/group where they can help him deal with it. Tragic. Ugh.
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Im not even sure it was all about his brother… his mom watched it happen… people dismiss her because she is a deputy sheriff but that doesn’t mean she isn’t taking it poorly…
 
Whatever happens, I just hope they get around Tuitt quickly, already.
 
The thing about the draft and free agency is that they aren’t the surefire thing that fans think they are

Cut a guy then the draft picks you wanted get taken early and you are **** out of luck…
Its even worse with UFAs because if the guy you want doesn’t want to play for you, there is nothing you can do except try to overpay him… and that ends poorly most of the time… and even then he can say no…
 
Let him go and save the $. Start rebuilding the line through draft and/or a younger or healthier FA. Need to start thinking about Cam's replacement as well. If they really want to sign him, give him a middle of the road, yet incentive loaded contract. Let's see how bad Tuitt wants to play.
 
Time for a sitdown with Tuitt and the team and find out if he's committed to playing full-time or if he wants to get on with his life's work.
 
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