Steelers 2-a-days: Where does Tre Norwood fit in secondary? Chuks Okorafor gets new contract

Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, the Trib will be running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, assessing each player’s outlook for the 2022 season. The breakdown will go through the roster in mostly-alphabetical order, two per day, between June 11 and July 25. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.

DB TRE NORWOOD

Experience: 2nd season

Contract status: $848,610 cap hit in 2022, signed through 2024

2022 outlook: Norwood famously was announced as a seventh-round pick last season by his new head coach, Mike Tomlin, who in lieu of announcing a position for him said, “Swiss Army Knife/utility back/safety.” Tomlin followed through on that for his new toy on defense, deploying Norwood in the nickel/slot, at free safety and at times as a “dime” hybrid linebacker. As a rookie drafted so low, Norwood had what has to be characterized as a successful season: He appeared on defense in all 18 games (including playoffs), made three starts, had an interception among six pass defenses and recorded 32 solo tackles. He was at times asked to blitz, at times cover opponents’ slot receivers and at times used as a “centerfielder.”

It all adds up to a big question mark when predicting Norwood’s contributions in 2022. Rest assured, though, that there are plenty of places on the defense where he can perform.

“Obviously,” the Steelers' Chuks Okorafor said, “I wanted to be back, because I came back. And obviously, they wanted me back, too.” https://t.co/9HpZlDVnIV

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) May 27, 2022

OT CHUKS OKORAFOR

Experience: 5th season

Contract status: $4.33 million cap hit in 2022, signed through 2024

2022 outlook: Okorafor has had a strange career for a third-round pick from a Mid-American Conference program. He has made at least one start at tackle in each of his four seasons, twice in that span he lost out on training-camp battles to be the full-time starter, his coach said he was better at left tackle weeks before moving him to right tackle (in 2020) … and in a surprise move, he was given a three-year, $29.5 million contract by the Steelers on the day free agency opened this past spring.

The value of the contract is deceiving based off those numbers alone — the Steelers could cut him this coming offseason with little harm and after a requisite, fair one-year investment. But it was an interesting decision for a team whose offensive line had struggled in 2021, leaving running back Najee Harris often under siege and forcing since-retired quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to throw quickly. Okorafor by far wasn’t the weakest link of last season’s offensive line … but he wasn’t necessarily its biggest strength, either.

With the contract they gave Okorafor, the Steelers made the calculation he was their best option at right tackle for 2022 — while providing some cost certainty if they decided the same going forward.

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