Chris Wormley spent the first three seasons of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. But before preparations for a fourth got underway in earnest, he was traded — to of all teams, the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I told him when he got here,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin recalled Sunday, “I said, ‘Man, when a team trades you within the division, they’re telling you what they think of you.’ So, I hope he always plays like that when he sees them.”
Tomlin was speaking after Wormley had the best statistical day of his career in a 20-19 Steelers win against the Ravens. Playing against his former team for the second time since the March 20, 2020, trade that involved a swap of late-round draft picks, Wormley had 2½ sacks, two tackles for loss, five total tackles and three quarterback hits. All set career highs or tied Wormley’s career best for 64 career games.
“I think that no matter what the week is and who we’re playing, I want to be able to perform well,” Wormley said. “But it’s extra special to do it against the team who traded you away.”
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Wormley played mostly a bit role in his first season with the Steelers (18% of the team’s defensive snaps, albeit counting three games in which he was on injured reserve). But the Steelers re-signed him this past spring – and good thing, too, after the team’s defensive line was decimated by injury.
With starters Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu on injured reserve and Carlos Davis and Isaiah Buggs also injured, Wormley has been relied upon for a heavy workload. He’s started each of the past 11 games.
“I’m just proud of that dude,” Steelers defensive captain Cameron Heyward said. “(The Ravens) traded him, and he made them pay.”
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