Entering the offseason with a glaring need along the defensive line, the Pittsburgh Steelers found the prices to be too high on the open market for the position group, missing out on some of the big names on the open market.
Cutting Larry Ogunjobi and seeing him sign with the Buffalo Bills hurt that position group even further for the Steelers. But since then, the Steelers have done well to add bodies to the group, including veteran Daniel Ekuale on a one-year deal, re-signing veteran Isaiahh Loudermilk, and on Wednesday, they added to the group again, adding Esezi Otomewo to provide depth and experience in the trenches this offseason.
Otomewo comes to the Steelers at just 26 years old — he turns 27 on May 9. A former 5th-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2022 NFL Draft at No. 165 overall, Otomewo doesn’t have much production in his career, with just nine tackles and half a sack.
However, he has 180 career snaps on defense and another 87 snaps on special teams across the 2022 and 2024 seasons with the Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars. In 2024, he played 90 defensive snaps, with 77 lined up in the B-gap and 13 snaps lined over the tackle, according to Pro Football Focus.
In 2022, in Minnesota, there were 63 snaps in the B-gap, two snaps in the A-gap, 13 snaps over the tackle, and 11 snaps outside of the tackle.
So, what does Otomewo offer the Steelers along the defensive line? Let’s take a look.
RUN DEFENSE
Listed at 6-foot-5, 282 pounds with 34 1/2-inch arms, Otomewo has good size and length for the position, which should theoretically make him a sound run-defender. But throughout the 2024 season, in his limited defensive snaps, he really struggled against the run.
Otomewo graded out at a 29.8 against the run from PFF. He doesn’t get off blocks all that well, struggles to anchor against double teams, and generally isn’t all that effective against the run unless he’s working down the line of scrimmage from the backside on runs.
There are some decent moments against the run on tape, though.
Here against Indianapolis in Week 5 in goal line, Otomewo is lined up in the B-gap just inside of right tackle Braden Smith. He does a good job of anchoring in place, plugging the lane, and combining with a teammate for the run stop as the Jaguars eventually recorded a goal-line stand.
He initially does a good job of getting his hands inside on Smith and anchoring. He doesn’t stay square in the gap, but he’s able to hold his ground, shed, and get in on the stop.
When he made plays as a run defender last year, Otomewo was working down the line of scrimmage, getting in on the play.
Here against Cleveland in Week 2, Otomewo does a nice job of getting inside of tackle James Hudson and running down the line, blowing up the play in the process.
Otomewo was able to swim over the block from Joel Bitonio and then cross Hudson’s face, rip, and run down the line, getting in on the stop. That was the best run rep I saw from him in 2024.
He also did so here in Week 6 at Chicago, combining with a teammate for a stop on a 1-yard gain from Chicago running back Roshon Johnson.
It’s not the cleanest rep from Otomewo, but he’s able to stay on his feet, find the football and close to make the play.
Effort is a big part of Otomewo’s game (more on that later). He’ll play hard every snap and give high effort. That will endear him to coaches and teammates, but it doesn’t cover up the skillset issues overall.
He’s going to play hard, compete at a high level, and work his tail off as a run defender, but his struggles with getting off blocks and staying clean against the run will hinder him in Pittsburgh, limiting how the Steelers will be able to use him.
RUSHING THE PASSER
As a pass rusher, Esezi Otomewo is slightly better in that aspect of the game than he is as a run defender.
Across two seasons in the NFL on 118 pass rush snaps, Otomewo has 12 total pressures. Last season with Jacksonville, Otomewo generated a grade of 71.5 from PFF.
He’s a high-effort guy, one that is going to fight non-stop to get to the passer. The problem is that he doesn’t use his hands all that well, and he doesn’t have much of a pass-rush plan when he’s on the field. It’s all second effort and trying to lean on power when he can.
Here against the Browns and right guard Wyatt Teller, Esezi Otomewo generated some power with a bull rush, walking Teller back into quarterback Deshaun Watson’s lap. It’s not all that eye-opening, but he used his length and leverage to generate some power from his lower half to push back one of the better guards in football.
That was notable.
A few snaps later, he was able to work inside and swim center Ethan Pocic after being passed off from Bitonio to generate heat on Watson.
That swim move was quick and efficient, allowing Esezi Otomewo to speed Watson up a bit, forcing the quick throw that ultimately went incomplete.
He had a similar rep against the Houston Texans in Week 4 when he was able to swim between guard and center, not lose any speed, and put heat on quarterback CJ Stroud.
That’s a nice job of attacking upfield. He uses his hands on the forklift technique to clear the guard’s punch, and then he’s able to get skinny through the gap and generate pressure.
That was easily the best pass-rush rep I saw from him last season.
But more often than not, when rushing the passer, he stalls out and doesn’t really have any moves in his toolbox to work with, especially counters. He will have to win quickly at the snap, or he will need to clean up with high-effort plays to generate much production.
Overall, the signing of Otomewo makes sense at this point in the offseason, considering the price tag along the defensive line for the big names. He’s an experienced veteran who has seen playing time in two different organizations.
Esezi Otomewo has good length and can handle some special teams duties, too, but the tape shows a guy who will be a fringe roster player, probably best suited for the practice squad again like he was for the 2023 season in Jacksonville.
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