Acquired off scrap heap, Montravius Adams showed he might deserve to remain a Steeler
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The day after the final game on his current contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, defensive end Montravius Adams wore an Auburn t-shirt to the Steelers’ facility.
To hear Adams tell it, it could have been a shirt of Mom’s favorite home-cooked meal, or of his grandma’s house instead of his alma mater. All, to him, feel like home.
As do the Steelers.
“I haven’t felt that family feel since I left Auburn. And this is the place (with the Steelers) where I feel that,” Adams said during a postseason video conference call with media. “You know, as a player, you don’t want to lose that.”
As a pending unrestricted free agent, Adams isn’t guaranteed to maintain his tie with the Steelers. The team has to decide if it wants its newest defensive lineman back in 2022.
As for Adams, safe to say he’s not closing the door on returning.
“It is definitely a place I would like to stay,” Adams said, “honestly, to finish my career, no matter how long that may be.
“I honestly just feel like this is the team. From top to bottom, I really mean that.”
There’s no reason to doubt Adams’ sincerity, but as recently as eight weeks ago, it would have been laughable to suggest Adams would have any choice or latitude to be picky in regards to where he would play. He was cut three times over the previous three months and was languishing on the practice squad of the New Orleans Saints.
The Steelers, though, were decimated by injuries to four of their top six defensive linemen, including two veteran starters (Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu) who were out for the season. So, in seeming desperation, they turned to Adams. They signed him Nov. 30, and five days later, he was a starter who played almost half their defensive snaps in a win against the Baltimore Ravens.
The 304-pound Adams kept that role the rest of the season, fitting in seamlessly and providing much-needed reinforcement on the Steelers’ defensive line as No. 1 nose tackle and rotational nickel lineman.
“We’re very fortunate to get him so late in the season,” captain and defensive lineman Cameron Heyward said. “We needed another guy that could penetrate the backfield. He’s got a quick get-off, plays well with his hands, a diamond-in-the-rough type of guy.”
Although Montravius Adams played in 3-4 defenses in Green Bay and in training camp with New England, he said the Steelers’ system is a little different than others. https://t.co/XajhBnERF3
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) December 4, 2021
In five regular-season games for the Steelers (he missed the Dec. 19 win against Tennessee while on the covid-19 list), Adams had eight tackles (six solo, one TFL), three QB hits and a batted-down pass. He added a hit on Patrick Mahomes during the Steelers’ playoff game in Kansas City.
Pro Football Focus gave Adams the third-highest grade of the nine defensive linemen who played for the Steelers this season, including grading him second to All-Pro Heyward in pass rushing. PFF credited Adams with 10 pressures (one sack, three hits, six hurries).
“I wanted to be more disruptive,” Adams said of his outlook upon arriving in Pittsburgh. “Honestly, I was still talking to the d-line coach in New Orleans (Ryan Nielsen), and we were watching guys around the league, and we were watching (Heyward). He thought Cam, in his eyes, was the best technician in the league right now.
“For me, that’s my next thing. I want to be a great technician from hands, steps. I want to do everything right in a game.”
Adams isn’t a cure-all for a Steelers defense that is aging along the defensive line and hemorrhaged rushing yards last season. But he did fit in, both in the locker room and on the field in the Steelers’ 3-4 scheme.
Especially with uncertainty surrounding the future of Tuitt, the Steelers might turn to Adams to help fill out their defensive line next season. A year ago in March, the former third-round pick of the Green Bay Packers had signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the New England Patriots.
Considering he was cut by the Patriots before he appeared in a game with them and then again by New Orleans after five games on that team, Adams surely won’t require all that much more for the Steelers to retain his services.
“Hopefully, he keeps building,” Heyward said. “I hope he becomes a Pittsburgh Steeler a lot longer.”
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