PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said during his Tuesday press conference that veteran nose tackle Montravius Adams may have an opportunity to return this week. Adams, who was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 22, has missed the last four games, which means his 21-day practice window can open up this week and possibly be available for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Adams suffered a knee injury in the second quarter of the Steelers’ Week 7 win over the New York Jets. The Steelers dressed six defensive lineman, so Dean Lowry and Isaiahh Loudermilk provided depth behind Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton and Larry Ogunjobi. The Steelers re-signed Breiden Fehoko to the practice squad in a corresponding move to Adams being placed on IR.
The Steelers signed Adams to their active roster off of the New Orleans Saints practice squad on Nov. 29, 2021. In the 2021 season, Adams played in five games for the Saints before being placed on the practice squad and eventually signing with the Steelers.
The Steelers do not really have another player with extensive nose tackle experience beyond Keeanu Benton, so a return of Adams would definitely be a big boost for the defensive line.
Adams played his biggest role since he entered the league in 2023 with the Steelers. He played in all 17 games and notched nine starts. He played a career-high 281 defensive snaps and finished the season with 26 total tackles, four quarterback pressures, and one pass defended.
Adams appeared as a nose tackle and a traditional defensive tackle in 2022.
The Green Bay Packers selected Adams with the 93rd overall pick in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he suffered a foot injury in training camp that resulted in him missing the entire preseason. Adams made his NFL debut later that season but did not start any of his seven appearances.
In 2018, Adams appeared in all 16 games for the Packers and started his first game in Week 16 against the New York Jets. Adams played 213 defensive snaps and recorded 20 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks, and six quarterback pressures. Following the season, Pro Football Focus gave Adams the highest rating of his career with a 66.8 rating. His 1.5 sacks in 2018 are the only credited sacks of Adams’ NFL career so far.
In 2019, Adams played in 14 games and started two for the Packers. He finished the season with 11 combined tackles and one quarterback pressure on 187 defensive snaps. In his final season in Green Bay, Adams only appeared in eight games and tallied 11 total tackles and two quarterback pressures.
Following the 2020 season, Adams signed with the New England Patriots but was waived prior to the season. He then signed with the New Orleans Saints and appeared in five games, starting one in 2021 before the Steelers claimed him off of the Saints’ practice squad.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.