The Pittsburgh Steelers made a great decision to bring back veteran defensive lineman Brett Keisel into the roster mix. Despite adding Cam Thomas through free agency and Stephon Tuitt in the draft, the Steelers’ front office decided that more depth on the line was needed.
Formerly a seventh-round pick all the way back in the 2002 NFL Draft, Keisel has started 110 games over his career – exactly the key element in bringing him back. Tuitt of course is a rookie, and Thomas only has 15 career starts to his credit, so Keisel can do wonders to push both to the next level of play.
But that and that alone should be the expectations for the 35-year-old veteran. To expect anything else out of Keisel would be unfair to one of the better defensive linemen to don the black and gold in the past 20 years.
In the same way that Joey Porter was brought in to teach the next wave of Steelers’ defensive stars, Keisel will be looked at to do the same – only his classes will take place on the field.
With Tuitt, the Steelers have a player that has the potential to be a star at a position that usually asks the player to go unnoticed. Along with Cam Heyward, the Steelers defensive line is set to be one of the best in the NFL for years to come.
It is almost a sense of coming full circle in a way only the Steelers could do. Tuitt was given number 91 to wear: the same number that Aaron Smith once wore. Smith, of course, helped bring along a young Keisel just coming out of BYU.
With the stability the Steelers have seen on defense, you can literally trace the lineage of players from players like Jarvis Jones all the way back to the likes of Greg Lloyd. You will now be able to trace Tuitt all the way back to Orpheus Roye, Oliver Gibson, and Joel Steed of the mid-90s Steelers defensive line.
It says something when a team doesn’t offer you a contract, almost forcing you into retirement, and you still jump at a chance to come back even though you just took a physical with another team and were about to sign with them.
Don’t think too much about it. The defensive line belongs to the youthful players. Having a player with two Super Bowl rings to his credit only enhances the line. With a wide array of skill sets and experience, this could become one of the most complete defensive lines in the league.
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