Steelers sign veteran defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi

In their most apparent attempt yet to replace the recently retired Stephon Tuitt, the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday signed veteran defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi to a one-year contract.

While financial terms were not immediately available, the Steelers surely got Ogunjobi on the cheap relative to what his market value was and could have been — with the large caveat that Ogunjobi is and remains healthy.

The 28-year-old, sixth-year NFL veteran had agreed to a three-year contract worth a reported $40.5 million, including $26.3 million in guarantees, with the Chicago Bears in March. The deal fell through, though, when Ogunjobi failed a physical.

Ogunjobi suffered an injury to his right foot during a January playoff game while playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. It necessitated surgery days later, ending his season and forcing Ogunjobi to miss the Bengals’ run to the Super Bowl.

Ogunjobi joined Cincinnati on a one-year deal in May 2021 after playing his first four NFL seasons with the Cleveland Browns. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Ogunjobi has appeared in 76 of a possible 81 regular-season games since joining the league as a third-round pick in 2017, including 16 of 17 last year for the Bengals.

Ogunjobi had a career-high seven sacks last season to give him 21 1/2 in his career. He also had a career-best 12 tackles for loss and 49 total tackles in 2021.

. @TimBenzPgh: #Steelers in better position to handle loss of Stephon Tuitt this time around — if they are smart and lucky https://t.co/vTlAh3sJRz

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) June 5, 2022

The Steelers had the NFL’s worst run defense last season when Tuitt did not play and fellow veteran starter Tyson Alualu missed all but six quarters of the season because of injury. Ogunjobi, though, has been graded much better as a pass rusher than a run defender by Pro Football Focus over the past three seasons.

Presumably, Ogunjobi would be the favorite to join Alualu and All-Pro Cameron Heyward as starters on the defensive line. Montravius Adams, Chris Wormley, Isaiahh Loudermilk and rookie third-round pick DeMarvin Leal are the other top candidates in a scheme that typically has only two linemen on the field. For roughly quarter of their defensive snaps, the Steelers deploy a nose tackle.

As a player who has spent his entire career in the AFC North, Ogunjobi has a history against the Steelers. Against no team does he have more solo tackles (18) or total tackles (30), but Steelers fans might remember Ogunjobi most for the infamous Mason Rudolph/Myles Garrett helmet-swinging incident of 2019.

Ogunjobi earned a one-game suspension for his role in that skirmish late in a Browns’ victory in Cleveland. Ogunjobi shoved Rudolph — still a Steelers quarterback today — in the back and to the ground.

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