Editor’s note: Leading up to a unique Pittsburgh Steelers training camp staged at Heinz Field this year, the Tribune-Review will be running through the team’s 90-man roster, assessing each player’s outlook for the 2020 season. The breakdown will go through the roster, in mostly-alphabetical order, two per day, between June 9 and July 23, a day that was originally planned to be reporting day for players to camp. (Contract data courtesy spotrac.com).

OLB OLA ADENIYI

Experience: Third season

Contract status: $755,000 cap hit in 2020, signed through 2021

2020 outlook: The release of Anthony Chickillo leaves the Steelers without much experience behind their pair of edge-rushing stars, Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt. Adeniyi could benefit the most. His two seasons, 17 games and 73 defensive snaps of NFL regular-season experience are more than every other Steelers OLB backup combined. Tuzar Skipper (six games, 40 snaps) is the only other player on the depth chart at the position who has played in the NFL. The Steelers, though, did invest their second pick of April’s draft on an edge rusher (Alex Highsmith). The Steelers have at times liked to use three or four outside linebackers in games, to varying degrees. How the pecking order shakes out between Adeniyi, Skipper and Highsmith is something to watch at training camp. Adeniyi has been on fans’ radar since his three-sack 2018 rookie preseason. He is a quick, intriguing pass rusher who last season showed special-teams proficiency. Adeniyi could be a leader on that unit in 2020.

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They hate what I’m doin now, they would love to see the old me ?

A post shared by Marcus Allen (@chicohndrx) on Dec 24, 2019 at 4:22pm PST

S MARCUS ALLEN

Experience: Third overall season (second accrued)

Contract status: $675,000 cap hit in 2020, Exclusive Rights Free Agent after season

2020 outlook: Like Adeniyi, Allen is part of a position group with two established quality starters (Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds) that lacks proven depth and added a draft pick (sixth-rounder Antoine Brooks). Allen, a fifth-round pick out of Penn State in 2018, potentially could seize the top backup job with a strong camp. Known as a good tackler, it’s also possible he could find a niche as a dime hybrid linebacker or in-the-box defensive back. Then again, it’s also not out of the realm of possibility that a poor showing during the preseason could leave Allen off the roster entirely. That’s what happened last season, when he was cut at the end of camp and placed on the practice squad. Allen’s only 2020 regular-season action was seven special-teams snaps in the finale at Baltimore.

Rookies Marcus Allen and Ola Adeniyi made their #NFL debuts Sunday night for the #Steelers, each playing on special teams and in a supplementary role on D in the 33-30 loss to the #Chargers. @C_AdamskiTrib https://t.co/2QtA1LQKyD

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) December 3, 2018

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