By all indications, the Pittsburgh Steelers were generally pleased with Isaiahh Loudermilk’s rookie season.
A defensive lineman for whom the Steelers aggressively traded up for in fifth round of the 2021 draft, Loudermilk appeared in 15 games, made two starts and seemed to make his presence felt over the 288 defensive snaps he played last season.
It probably was more a reflection on the Steelers’ increased depth on the defensive line, then, that Loudermilk was “demoted” to start this season. After the offseason additions of free agent Larry Ogunjobi and third-round pick DeMarvin Leal coupled with the return of Tyson Alualu from injury, Loudermilk was a gameday inactive for each of the first five games of the Steelers’ 2022 season.
But a knee injury to Leal that will prevent him from playing in Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has opened up a spot on the d-line that Loudermilk is eager to fill.
“I just knew I had to wait for my opportunity,” the 6-foot-7, 249-pound Loudermilk said after Friday’s practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “I knew it would come eventually. So I was just trying to have that thought that it is going to come and I need to be ready, I need to be prepared with pretty much everything. That kind of helped me come in every day and not really change how I worked.”
The final eight games of last season (including the playoffs), Loudermilk was playing more than one-third of the Steelers’ defensive snaps. He had 19 tackles (11 solo) and two batted-down passes in that time.
With Alualu, Ogunjobi and Chris Wormley pending unrestricted free agents and unit leader Cameron Heyward set to turn 34 years old this spring, Loudermilk could be auditioning for a role as a co-starter as early as next season.
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