Steelers A to Z: Free-agent signee Dean Lowry brings experience to defensive line
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Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2024 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between June 14 and July 25. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.
DL DEAN LOWRY
Experience/age: 9th season, 30
Contract status: $1.875 million cap hit in 2024, signed through 2025
The past: Only four players on the Steelers’ 90-man camp roster have been in the NFL longer than Lowry, who was a fourth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers out of Northwestern in 2016. He’s played 128 career NFL games (including playoffs) and was remarkably durable over the first 120, missing only one over that time period. But a 101-game (regular-season) “iron man” streak ended late in the 2022 season because of a calf injury suffered during a Christmas Day win at the Miami Dolphins. That would be the final game he would play for the Packers, with whom he’d been playing on a three-year, $20.3 million extension from 2020-22.
A free-agent for the first time during the spring of 2023, Lowry signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract with the rival Minnesota Vikings. But a pectoral injury contributed to cutting last season short for Lowry, who was released by the Vikings in March. He signed with the Steelers three weeks later, agreeing to a two-year, $5 million deal.
Mean. Dean. Lowry. SACK! @DeanLowry94 | @packers pic.twitter.com/42D1WEVN2a
— Priority Sports (@PrioritySports) December 25, 2021
2024 outlook: A veteran of 84 NFL starts, 15 ½ sacks, 266 tackles (143 solo, 23 for loss), five takeaways (including a 2017 fumble returned 62 yards for a touchdown), 34 QB hits and 17 passes defended, Lowry brings a wealth of experience to the Steelers’ defensive line group. He has seen it all and lined up at various techniques on both sides of a defensive front over his career.
Lowry effectively was acquired as the replacement for Armon Watts, the veteran who served as a backup defensive lineman last season. Before that, it was Chris Wormley. In the latter stages of his career, Tyson Alualu was a de facto in that role (though he played more nose tackle than Lowry typically has in his career).
The depth chart for the Steelers’ d-line in 2024 begins with starters Cameron Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi and Keeanu Benton and will include Lowry prominently in the rotation. With the recent injury histories of Heyward and Benton, in particular, it would not be surprising if Lowry was a starter at some point this season. But he will be competing for reps with the likes of Montravius Adams, DeMarvin Leal, Isaiahh Loudermilk and rookie Logan Lee.
The biggest question with Lowry at this point of his career regards whether his recent run of injuries is the new norm, or just an aberration during what has otherwise been a remarkably durable run as a pro.