Playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers is a dream for many aspiring football players. The Steelers are one of the most popular franchises in the NFL and the fan base is national, if not global. The perception is that many Steelers fans follow the team to road games, but the reality is the organization has large fan bases in every state. They rarely get the opportunity to see the black and gold in person and they turn out in full force when Pittsburgh visits their city.
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Los Angeles Chargers DT, Breiden Fehoko.
The Steelers’ newest defensive lineman, Breiden Fehoko has been in the NFL for three seasons. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers after winning the National Championship with the LSU Tigers in college. He has played in 19 NFL games over three seasons, but fits the profile of a young free agent that has the potential to ascend to a starting position as the nose tackle the team has been searching for since Javon Hargrave left the team.
Fehoko is the classic 3-4 nose player and he will have an opportunity to play a significant role in the Steelers’ run defense. He joined the Steel Here podcast with Kevin Adams and Jersey Jerry to discuss his decision to join Pittsburgh, despite having several offers to consider.
Steel Here Podcast
Steelers' Breiden Fehoko joins the Steel Here podcast.
“There were two or three other teams,” Fehoko said. “It was all the same things; it was all minimums. For me, I think the biggest thing was fit. I felt like Pittsburgh fit my style of play. I’m a 3-4 guy, not saying I don’t want to play in a 4-3... I can do it. I’m a football guy, I play defensive line. What I take pride in is playing physical, playing rugged.”
Fehoko started four of the 19 games he played for the Chargers, but the AFC West and the AFC North differ greatly in play styles. His playing time improved each season, but after three seasons in the NFL, Fehoko wisely prioritized style and scheme in his search for a new home.
The Steelers improved in 2022 against the run, but they are still a work in progress and Fehoko knows that his style could be an ideal fit in Pittsburgh.
“I’m excited to be in Pitt, there are a lot of big shoes to fill,” Fehoko continued. “All I heard was Sixburgh growing up, that’s the kind of stuff that when I signed with Pitt, I knew I had to pick my (expletive) up. There is a real focal point in football here and that is going to bring out the best in players."
The franchise has been searching for their seventh Super Bowl championship for 15 years. Players like Fehoko, Isaac Seumalo, Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Nate Herbig have an innate toughness that recent teams have lacked. Stopping the run and running the football is all about attitude and listening to Fehoko, it is apparent that he has not come to Pittsburgh to participate in ice cream socials.
"I’m not really a flashy guy, I am not going to go and swim a guy,” Fehoko said. “I’m not going to be Aaron Donald, but I think what I do is what Pitt wants out of me as a player. That is what I grew up doing, that is what I grew up loving. Free agency, I was a little nervous. First, one team calls, then another team calls and it isn’t the offer you want. You are expecting something high, but it doesn’t work out, but I am happy to be a Pittsburgh Steeler now.”
Adams astutely points out that the Steelers have been sliding Cam Heyward inside and that it isn’t as effective as it could be because Heyward does not thrive over the center. The signing of Fehoko gives the front office the flexibility in the upcoming draft to prioritize the best player available to them on days two and three of the draft rather than forcing a fit inside.
Steelers' Search For A Bone Crushing Nose Tackle Continues In 2023
Fehoko is only 26 years old and his skills as a physical player who can occupy multiple offensive linemen have not been fully utilized in the NFL.
If he can occupy interior lineman, even as a depth piece up front, it will free up Holcomb and Roberts to thrive as the run-stopping forces the Steelers have lacked since Vince Williams retired. The nose tackle in the 3-4 is the difference between a unit being good and great as a defense.
Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers assistant general manager, Andy Weidl speaks to the media.
Andy Weidl and Omar Khan continue to concentrate on the interior of both the offensive and defensive lines. If they have done the job that many NFL observers think they have done on rebuilding in the trenches during free agency, then picks 17, 32, and 49 could be the final pieces to reshaping the team into an AFC contender.
The free agent signings have not been sensational, but players like Fehoko are the under-the-radar pieces that can change a team’s fortunes. It is not flashy and doesn't get a lot of attention and that is just the way he likes it. Steelers fans are going to love his impact on the defense.
What do you think Steeler Nation? Are you sold on Weidl and Khan’s strategy for building a team? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
