Getty The Steelers could target free agent defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could be a potential landing spot for defensive end Stephon Tuitt’s replacement.
As the Steelers look to replace Tuitt — who announced his retirement June 1 — Pittsburgh will look to replace one of their best defensive players. Not only is the loss of Tuitt a big one, it’s an even bigger void due to the Steelers’ struggles on run defense last season. Pittsburgh allowed 2,483 rushing yards on the ground and 5.0 yards per carry, the most any Steelers defense has allowed since the merger in 1970.
One potential replacement for Tuitt mentioned by Noah Strackbein of Sports Illustrated is six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy. The 34-year-old McCoy has sparsely played over the past two seasons due to injuries — he’s appeared in just one game since 2020 — but he registered 37 tackles and five sacks during his last full season with the Carolina Panthers in 2019.
Perhaps most important is that McCoy has experience playing defensive end in a 3-4 alignment, having done so as the left defensive end for the Panthers in 2019.
“McCoy’s season ended after just one game last season but the aging veteran showed he’s still got some gas left in the tank the last few years,” Strackbein wrote in his June 2. “The 12-year vet brings 86 tackles for loss and 59.5 sacks into the season with him. He hasn’t played in practically two seasons because of injuries, first being his quad and then his knee.
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Pittsburgh will have to do their homework on McCoy, but if they feels he’s healthy, he’s a proven veteran.”
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According to Pro Football Focus, McCoy posted a 72.4 defensive grade and an even better 77.0 run defensive grade in 2019. For perspective, McCoy ranked 21st among all defensive linemen (with at least 100 snaps) in run defense.
During Tuitt’s last full season in 2020, the former second-round draft pick posted a 75.7 defensive grade and a 58.1 run defensive grade, far worse than McCoy’s production.
While McCoy certainly doesn’t replace the pass-rushing production of Tuitt — Tuitt posted 11 sacks in 2020, while McCoy hasn’t posted more than six sacks in a single season since 2016 — he’s clearly capable of being a better run stopper than Tuitt when healthy.
However, that’s the problem. Assuming McCoy suits up for a team during the 2022 season, he’ll have played in only one game since the end of the 2019 season. For a 34-year-old defensive lineman with a history of quad, biceps and knee injuries since entering the league in 2010, expecting McCoy to produce the way that he did in 2019 may be too much to expect.
The Steelers certainly have tons of depth on the defensive line — Chris Wormley, second-year player Isaiahh Loudermilk and third-round pick rookie DeMarvin Leal — so adding McCoy might not be that much of a risk. But if the Steelers are expecting a veteran replacement such as McCoy to automatically fill Tuitt’s shoes, they’ll likely be disappointed.
If the Steelers can sign McCoy to a low-risk, bargain contract, the veteran may not be a bad addition prior to the start of training camp.