Steelers Practice Notes: Damontae Kazee Out Several Weeks

PITTSBURGH — Damontae Kazee is expected to miss several week with the left arm injury he suffered on Sunday against the Detroit Lions, but the Steelers didn’t add to their safety position after cut-down day, and released Elijah Riley on Tuesday, leaving precious little depth behind starers Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds.

But head coach Mike Tomlin said the team has depth in its versatility, as players that usually play the slot like Arthur Maulet and Tre Norwood can also fill in at safety, especially in the three-safety Nickel package the team has been working on.

“We’ve got a bunch of versatile chess pieces in the secondary that allow us to do a lot of things and bring different skillsets,” Tomlin said. “Obviously, Kazee was doing some really good things, but we have a lot of guys that are displaying versatility down in and down out in the back end.”

Maulet played safety with New Orleans earlier in his career, and certainly can fill the role if he’s asked to. Norwood has done a little bit of everything in his time with the Steelers.

Maulet has been dealing with a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the final two preseason games, but he said Wednesday that he’s good to go.

Riley is expected to be added to the practice squad.

NEW THREADS, NEW DIGITS

New Steelers offensive lineman Jesse Davis will wear No. 77, last worn by John Leglue last season. He also wore 77 for five years with the Miami Dolphins.

Malik Reed, who wore No. 59 with the Denver Broncos, will now sport 50, as 59 is unofficially retired for Jack Ham in Pittsburgh. Delontae Scott had been wearing 50 this offseason, but was waived on Tuesday. Scott is expected to re-join the practice squad and wear No. 49.

Scott played one game last season. Before that, no Steelers player had worn No. 50 in a regular season game since Ryan Shazier last wore it in 2017.

In other jersey number news, there has still not been a resolution over who will wear No. 65 between Larry Ogunjobi and Dan Moore Jr.

SWING AND A MISS?

Before the Steelers traded for Davis on Tuesday, they apparently sought out former Carolina Panthers tackle Dennis Daley, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Daley played for Steelers offensive line coach Pat Meyer in Carolina last year and has played left tackle, something that Davis has not done much of.

#Steelers were eager to get OL help this week — they were the team that came up most often in regards to trades for that position. Multiple teams believed they were in on Dennis Daley (who went to TEN via trade). Eventually got Jesse Davis.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 31, 2022

Daley was instead traded to the Tennessee Titans long with a seventh-pick in 2024 for a fifth-round pick in 2024 — more than the Steelers paid for Davis.

TAKING IT ALL IN

Kenny Pickett said he’ll be on the sidelines for warmups and the first quarter for Thursday night’s Backyard Brawl between his alma mater Pitt and West Virginia at Acrisure Stadium. He’ll be joined by a host of Pitt legends taking in the game.

Some of Pickett’s teammates are planning on joining him, as well. Center Mason Cole, a Michigan alum, had a white Pickett No. 8 Pitt jersey hanging in his locker on Wednesday.