One player that is being slightly forgotten about when talking about the Steelers secondary is Damontae Kazee. Of course, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Joey Porter Jr. are the stars of the secondary but for the group to be a top-tier group in 2024, they will need guys like Kazee to consistently contribute.
In his two seasons in the black-and-gold, Kazee has yet to play a complete season as he was suspended for violating the league’s substance policy and missed a portion of his first season on the injured reserve. Then in year two, Kazee was suspended again, this time for three games for an illegal hit on Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman.
While Kazee managed to return to the team for the AFC Wild Card loss, he played in a backup role and only saw 20 defensive snaps. On one of his 20 snaps, he made a costly mistake as Bills quarterback Josh Allen ran for a 52-yard touchdown and blew past a tackle attempt of Kazee’s in the process. Kazee said that his suspension was weighing on his mind which caused him to make the mistake.
“I was happy (to be back), but it did slow me down a little bit,” Kazee said at OTAs, via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I’m wondering, ‘How do I approach people now.’ … He ran that fake slide on me, and it froze me up. ‘Do I take my shot?’ I don’t know.”
Kazee’s game is centered around throwing his body around and making big-time hits so since he was penalized for it, he began to question his entire mindset regarding playing defense.
“Do I let them catch the ball, do I wait till he catches it and looks at me before I make a tackle?” Kazee questioned. “There were a lot of things going through my head.”
After the season concluded and he had some time to digest everything that happened, Kazee knows he has to make slight changes to his game but is ready for that challenge.
“I definitely got to change,” Kazee said. “I have to. The NFL is changing, so I have to change with it. They are putting in new rules, and you have to adjust to it.”
Kazee is entering the second year of his two-year extension with the Steelers and after his up-and-down 2023 season, some predicted that the team could look in another direction. He is still in town so that seemed to be just a media rumor but the players hear those rumblings, too. Kazee did but his faith that he would still be a Steeler never wavered.
“Never in my mind,” Kazee said. “If it happens, I know how to move. I’m a vet. I have no hate in my heart. Just move on to the next.”
Kazee enters the 2024 season as a possible starter opposite of Fitzpatrick but after the team signed DeShon Elliott, it appears that Kazee and Elliott will play in down-specific roles opposite of Fitzpatrick. This will allow their skill sets to be fully utilized while letting Fitzpatrick play his patented “Minkah ball.”
23 • Damontae Kazee, Safety, San Diego State
5-foot-11, 174 pounds, 31 years old, 8th Season
Acquired: The Steelers signed Damontae Kazee to a one-year contract prior to the 2022 season after his contract with the Dallas Cowboys expired.
Last season: Damontae Kazee’s 2023 was a wild ride as he faced a suspension for a hit he laid on Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman. The suspension caused him to miss the team’s final three regular season games. He managed to make it back for the AFC Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills but he played just 20 snaps in that game.
In his 14 games, Kazee started nine games and totaled 61 tackles and two interceptions.
Career: The Atlanta Falcons selected Damontae Kazee with the 149th pick in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft after a record-breaking final two seasons at San Diego State. As a rookie, Kazee played in all 16 games for the Falcons as he made appearances at both strong safety and free safety. He started his first career game in Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills as he played a season-high 60 defensive snaps and made four tackles. He finished his rookie season with 23 total tackles and two forced fumbles.
In 2018, Kazee took over the starting free safety position as he started 15 of 16 games for the Falcons at the position. He played a career-high 991 defensive snaps and totaled a career-high 82 combined tackles and seven interceptions. He recorded three straight games with an interception including one against the Steelers.
Kazee started 14 games in 2019 and played 903 defensive snaps for the Falcons. He notched 74 total tackles, three interceptions, and one forced fumble.
In his final season in Atlanta, Kazee started the first four games of the season before tearing his Achilles tendon which ended his season. After the season, Kazee signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys.
In his lone season as a Cowboy, Kazee played in all 17 games and started 15 of them as he played his second-most defensive snaps (900) in his career. He finished the season with 52 combined tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
After a short stint in Dallas, Kazee signed a one-year deal with the Steelers. He suffered a fractured forearm in the 2022 preseason which landed him on the team’s injured reserve to start the season. He also was suspended for three games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Kazee was activated in early November and played in nine games while making four starts for the Steelers.
Kazee made an immediate impact once activated as he recorded an interception against the New Orleans Saints in his first regular season game as a Steeler. He also intercepted a pass from Deshaun Watson in the team’s Week 18 game against the Cleveland Browns.
In total, Kazee posted 20 combined tackles and two interceptions in his first season in Pittsburgh.
Over his first seven seasons in the league, Kazee has played in 92 games and started 62 of them. He has 332 tackles, 22 passes defended, 16 interceptions, and seven forced fumbles.
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Snaps | Tackles | Interceptions | FFs | PFF Rating |
| 2017 | ATL | 16 | 1 | 165 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 65.4 |
| 2018 | ATL | 16 | 15 | 991 | 82 | 7 | 1 | 77.9 |
| 2019 | ATL | 16 | 14 | 803 | 74 | 3 | 1 | 60.8 |
| 2020 | ATL | 4 | 4 | 241 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 65.1 |
| 2021 | DAL | 17 | 15 | 900 | 52 | 2 | 2 | 60.9 |
| 2022 | PIT | 9 | 4 | 273 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 81.0 |
| 2023 | PIT | 14 | 9 | 772 | 61 | 2 | 0 | 60.4 |
College: Coming out of Cajon High as a three-star recruit, Damontae Kazee committed to San Diego State University and utilized his redshirt during the 2012 season. In 2013, Kazee saw action in 11 games but did not record a start. He finished the season with 38 combined tackles, one interception, three passes defended, three tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles. His four forced fumbles as a redshirt freshman tied the fourth-highest mark all-time in a season at San Diego State.
As a redshirt sophomore, Kazee started all 13 games for the Aztecs at cornerback. In his first full season as a starter, he totaled 58 combined tackles, one interception, 14 passes defended, and four tackles for loss. Following the season, Kazee was named All-Mountain West Second Team by the league’s coaches and media.
In 2015, Kazee really stepped his game up as he started all 14 games for the Aztecs. He recorded career highs in total tackles (75), interceptions (8), passes defended (15), and tackles for loss (5.5). Kazee also forced two fumbles as a redshirt junior. Kazee earned a multitude of awards following the 2015 season as he was named second-team All-American by USA Today, first-team All-Mountain West and earned the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year award. His eight interceptions tied San Diego State’s program record since the team moved to Division 1 and tied a Mountain West record for most in a single season.
Kazee played his senior season with the same level of production as his junior season. He started all 13 games and recorded 60 total tackles, seven interceptions, 15 passes defended, and three tackles for loss. He was the first Aztec in program history to haul in six or more interceptions in consecutive seasons and his 17 career interceptions set a Aztec record.
In total, Kazee played in 51 games and recorded 40 starts at cornerback for the Aztecs. He totaled 231 combined tackles, 17 interceptions, 47 passes defended, 15.5 tackles for loss, and six forced fumbles.
| Year | GP | GS | TKLs | INTs | PDs | TFLs | FFs |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 11 | 0 | 38 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 4 |
| 2014 | 13 | 13 | 58 | 1 | 14 | 4.0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 14 | 14 | 75 | 8 | 15 | 5.5 | 2 |
| 2016 | 13 | 13 | 60 | 7 | 15 | 3.0 | 0 |
Salary cap and future: Damontae Kazee is entering the second year of his two-year extension with the Steelers. He will cost $3.875 million against the team’s 2024 cap space. He is owed $3 million in base salary and $875,000 in bonus money in 2024.
Kazee is signed with the team through the end of the this season when he will become an unrestricted free agent.
The rest of the 90:
