Stephon Tuitt is stepping away from football. The eight-year veteran announced his retirement from the game Wednesday after a trying 2021.
It’s a somewhat surprising decision for the 29-year-old. Tuitt’s 2020 season was the best of his career, resulting in 11 sacks for the league’s top defense. While he’d missed all of following season thanks to a knee injury and had skipped the team’s voluntary workouts this spring, teammates were optimistic he’d be back this fall to claim his spot on the defensive line. Instead, he’ll leave the gridiron behind after 246 tackles and 34.5 sacks.
In his retirement announcement, Tuitt admitted he’d been “called to move beyond the sport of football.”
Statement from Stephon Tuitt: pic.twitter.com/46iOoOZZZW
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) June 1, 2022
His injury wasn’t the only outside force affecting Tuitt’s return. His younger brother Richard Bartlett III was fatally struck by a car in a hit-and-run last June. That loss, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, played a bigger role in his missing the season than the knee surgery that initially placed him on IR.
Tuitt’s departure will further hamper Pittsburgh’s return to the NFL’s defensive elite. The Steelers ran out to an 11-0 record and an AFC North title despite an inefficient offense in 2020 thanks to Tuitt’s contributions for a punishing pass rush. The former second-round pick benefitted greatly from TJ Watt’s ascension to All-Pro pass rusher, cleaning up sloppy pockets as Pittsburgh led the league in sacks (56), quarterback hits (137), and pressure rate (35.1 percent).
Without Tuitt, that group backslid. His primary replacement, Chris Wormley, recorded seven sacks but only had 10 quarterback hits compared to his predecessor’s 25 and 18 pressures vs. Tuitt’s 36 the year prior. The Steelers fell from first place to 14th in overall defensive DVOA. Though they led the league in sacks once again (55 in 17 games), their pressure rate fell noticeably to 27.1 percent.
The should’ve-been Pro Bowler was also the youngest starter across a three-man front that features 33-year-old Cam Heyward and 35-year-old Tyson Alualu. While Heyward, a 2021 first-team All-Pro, remains invaluable, Alualu only played a pair of games last season due to injury. Wormley is roughly five months younger than Tuitt, but also less effective against both the pass and the run.
This puts pressure on Heyward to continue playing at a ridiculous level at a point where many of his peers have retired (only two of the six interior linemen drafted ahead of him in 2011 played in 2021). It will also require Alualu to stay healthy and Wormley to build on last year’s breakthrough. Also helping matters will be 2022 third-round pick DeMarvin Leal, a former five-star recruit who had 13 sacks and 25 tackles for loss in three years at Texas A&M but also slipped until late on Day 2 thanks to concerns about his size (when it comes to playing inside) and athleticism (when it comes to edge rushing). Returning rotational pieces Isaiahh Loudermilk and Montravius Adams will take on key roles as well.
Tuitt’s absence wasn’t the only reason the Steeler defense backslid in 2021. In fact, he missed 10 games in 2019 and that unit still put together a top three DVOA. However, it’s tough to look at the season he had in 2020 and not wonder “what if” when it comes to a player at his peak who had his on-field mastery wiped off the slate thanks to off-field tragedy. Pittsburgh is undeniably a worse team without Heyward’s longtime bookend at defensive end.
This is a tough loss for the Steelers, but Tuitt made it clear he’s at peace with the decision and doing what’s best for himself. That’s all that matters in this situation, even if it stinks we’ll never get to see him chasing down quarterbacks or throwing right tackles backward into running backs again.