Steelers add veteran safety Damontae Kazee on 1-year contract
Providing another starting option in the secondary, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed free agent safety Damontae Kazee to a one-year contract.
Kazee agreed to terms after the conclusion of the NFL Draft, but the contract wasn’t signed until Tuesday.
Kazee, a five-year veteran, played primarily free safety throughout his career. With Minkah Fitzpatrick manning that position for the Steelers, Kazee could push strong safety Terrell Edmunds for the starting job.
Kazee has started 49 games among the 69 he has played with the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys.
A fifth-round pick of the Falcons in 2017, Kazee had 187 tackles, 10 interceptions and three forced fumbles in four seasons in Atlanta.
In his second season, his seven interceptions tied for most in the NFL. He was limited to four games in 2020 because of a torn Achilles, and the Falcons elected not to re-sign him.
Last year, his only one in Dallas, Kazee started 15 of 17 games and had 51 tackles, two interceptions, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
In college, Kazee started 41 games at San Diego State and became the school’s all-time interceptions leader with 17. He was a two-time Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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