Steelers HC Mike Tomlin offers update on DE Stephon Tuitt

Mike Tomlin spoke briefly about Stephon Tuitt during today’s pre-draft press conference.

The NFL draft is just days away but one question on the mind of many has nothing to do with rookie prospects and everything to do with the status of Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt.

As usual, Steelers media live-tweeted from this afternoon’s pre-draft press conference featuring both head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert. ESPN’s Brooke Pryor noted that Tomlin grinned when asked about Tuitt’s status, as it’s a question he expects to hear at each media availability.

It’s well known that Tuitt’s younger brother Richard Bartlett III was killed in a hit-and-run car accident in June of 2021.

Tuitt, 28, missed all of last season for both mental and physical health purposes. Tuitt was not only dealing with a knee injury, but the Steelers were giving him the space he needed to heal mentally from the insurmountable tragedy.

Just as Tomlin said there’s no update but that Tuitt is “doing well,” there’s no update on the case of Bartlett. Because of the nature of the accident, it’s difficult to begin to solve a case without at the very least the driver’s license plate number.

“Despite the best efforts of law enforcement and a $17,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, the case remains unsolved,” Tom Reed of DK Pittsburgh Sports wrote last month.

As Colbert mentioned in a February press conference, the Steelers and Tuitt have been communicating. “We’ve been in contact with Stephon
and we’re very open to continue to help him and we will continue to evaluate that position and his availability to us. We just hope for the best for him as he tries to come back and be a part of the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

As usual, the Steelers brass is keeping Tuitt’s status close to the vest. There’s no doubt they know more than they’re leading on and, hopefully, Tuitt’s been open enough for his team to make an informed draft selection if needed.

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Ex-Steelers DC Keith Butler speaks out on Stephon Tuitt

Even those inside the Steelers organization — or were anyway — don’t know what the dadgum heck is going on with DE Stephon Tuitt. 

Even those inside the Pittsburgh Steelers organization — or were just a few days ago — don’t appear to know what the dadgum heck is going on with defensive end Stephon Tuitt.

Tuitt’s absence has been one of the great mysteries of the 2021 Steelers season (along with what happened to the supposed innovative Matt Canada offense). And despite the Steelers media’s repeated inquiries during head coach Mike Tomlin’s press conferences, the answer was always the same: “I hadn’t given it any thought.”

Tuitt had a breakout 2020 campaign in which he had a career-high 11 sacks and 25 quarterback hits. Tuitt spent the 2021 season on injured reserve and hasn’t been seen since he made a brief appearance at practice in October.

A guest of 93.7 The Fan PM Team, former Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler shed a little bit more light on the situation but nothing revealing.

“I really don’t know,” Butler said regarding a return for Tuitt. “That’s going to be up to Mr. [Art] Rooney. I have no idea. I don’t know where he is set mentally. That’s something very private that and we didn’t know a whole lot about it. We just took it for granted that what happened to him and his family was very hard on him, and he struggled with it. I hope he comes back for the team. I don’t know if he will. We’ll see what happens.”

Tuitt is entering the final year of his contract, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are on the hook for nearly $14 million.

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Steelers DE Stephon Tuitt spotted back at practice

Good news on the Stephon Tuitt front.

While there’s been no official word from the Pittsburgh Steelers regarding defensive end Stephon Tuitt’s return to the team, he was spotted at Friday’s practice.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photojournalist Matt Freed posted a photo on Twitter of Tuitt performing some individual drills at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

Tuitt looks slim and fit in the photo, which is good news considering Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler said one concern about Tuitt this offseason was his weight.

The Steelers kept quiet on the Tuitt front until the team placed him on the injured reserve/return list last month following a surgical procedure to clean up damage in his right knee. He was eligible to come off of injured reserve prior to the Bengals game.

Tuitt did not practice during training camp as he dealt with the lingering knee issue and the sudden death of his brother.

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Stephon Tuitt wants to make Baker Mayfield ‘uneasy in that pocket’

In the regular-season finale, Tuitt gave Mayfield a glimpse of what’s to come this week.

Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt got a head start harassing Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield in Week 17. Tuitt took him down once, and, in all, Pittsburgh sacked Mayfield four times in the regular-season finale — just a taste of what’s to come when it really counts.

In a press conference on Friday, Tuitt said the Steelers want Mayfield to be uncomfortable in the pocket. “He’s able to escape the pocket. And when he escapes the pocket, he’s able to make big some big plays, even if it’s with his legs or his arm. We definitely want to make sure we keep him in the pocket. We’re big defensive linemen, so we want to make sure we corral him and put our hands up. We want to make sure his day is uneasy in that pocket — let him do something that he’s uncomfortable to do.”

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Just imagine what the defense will do with NFL sack leader T.J. Watt and defensive end Cam Heyward back in the game. Watt nor Heyward has had a sack on Mayfield this season, and neither played last week. They’ll be chomping at the bit to get a piece of Cleveland quarterback.

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Steelers DE Stephon Tuitt hits career milestone vs. Colts

Tuitt is quietly making his mark as part of the Steelers dominant defense.

You never know what you have until it’s gone. The Steelers knew exactly how this felt when defensive end Stephon Tuitt went down for the 2019 season in Week 6 with a torn pectoral.

It didn’t take long for Tuitt to make his presence felt this season. From the moment he registered his first sack of the season in Week 1 versus the Giants, he was back.

In Week 8, Tuitt was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his harassment of Lamar Jackson. He finished the game with two sacks, nine total tackles (three for loss) and three quarterback hits.

Tuitt has recorded at least a half-sack in each game but six this season and added another on Sunday versus the Colts. And with that, Tuitt hit the first double-digit sack season of his career.

The Steelers and the Los Angeles Rams (DT Aaron Donald, OLB Leonard Floyd) are the only two teams that have two players who rank Top 10 in sacks.

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Steelers’ T.J. Watt explains what a difference-maker DE Stephon Tuitt is

Tuitt missed the Ravens game after being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list but is expected to play Monday versus Washington.

It’s been a tough week for the Pittsburgh Steelers defense after linebacker Bud Dupree was lost for the season with a torn ACL. But the unit got some good news on Saturday when defensive end Stephon Tuitt was activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

“It’ll be huge to have him back,” T.J. Watt said in a press conference on Saturday. “Tuitt is a phenomenal player in both the run and the pass. He makes the defensive front go. We’re getting a key player back, and I’m excited to play alongside him this week.”

Third on the team in sacks with a career-high seven, Tuitt is enjoying a stellar season. He’s also logged 31 tackles (seven for loss), two forced fumbles and two batted passes.

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