The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a busy day. They started the morning by signing former Philadelphia Eagles receiver Quez Watkins.
Then it was revealed that they had signed veteran quarterback Kyle Allen as the third piece to their quarterback room.
Along with the Allen news, the team’s GM also revealed that they had decided to add some experience to their defensive line.
While speaking to the media at the NFL Owner’s Meeting on March 25, Steelers GM Omar Khan revealed that the team had agreed to terms on a deal with veteran defensive end Dean Lowry (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor).
Lowry’s Long Run With the Packers
The Green Bay Packers drafted Lowry in the fourth round back in 2016 and he put together a long career with the team.
That run in Green Bay got off to a slow start with Lowry making just 8 tackles.
Just a year later he carved out a much larger role with the Packers. He started 11 games in his second season and made 32 total tackles while adding a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
The next year he started eight games while playing in all 16 and had 44 tackles with 3 sacks.
From there he cemented himself in the starting lineup in Green Bay.
Between 2019 and 2021, he started every game for the Packers. During those three seasons he made 125 tackles and had 8 sacks.
He played one more season in Green Bay after that, making 43 total tackles.
After seven years with the Packers, his time with the team came to an end and he decided to sign with a division rival.
In 2023, he went signed a two-year contract with the Vikings, but played just nine games before a pectoral injury ended his first season with the team.
They ended up releasing him after his first season with the team, which made him available for the Steelers to come along and pick him up to add depth to their defensive line.
The Steelers’ Defensive Line
Heading into this year’s NFL offseason, the Steelers had plenty of needs to address.
The need on the defensive line wasn’t one getting a whole lot of attention this offseason, but it was definitely something they needed to address.
The team got disappointing play out of Larry Ogunjobi last season after signing him to a big contract.
Cameron Heyward is coming off of a season where he had to play through a major injury and is going to be 35 in May.
Keeanu Benton showed potential in his rookie season, but still needs to continue developing to be an option the Steelers rely upon.
All of that left them needing some more options along the line.
Signing Lowry doesn’t make the line’s ceiling any higher, but he does give them some solid depth behind their starters and could become a rotational player if Heyward sees a reduced snap count again in 2024.
It also doesn’t prevent them from potentially grabbing somebody during the draft.
That’s something that was seen as a possibility for the team throughout the offseason and remains something they could consider as Lowry doesn’t really provide an answer for their future at the position.
Picking up Lowry isn’t one of the most memorable signings of the offseason for the Steelers, but it definitely strengthens a position where they needed to make a move before the 2024 season.
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