The retirement of Stephon Tuitt was not a shock, but it was a bit of a wake-up call for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive linemen. While they knew that the veteran could make the decision to walk away from the game, now that they know for sure, they also know what that means for their individual roles.
That might especially be big for Isaiahh Loudermilk, who goes from potentially competing for a hypothetical seventh defensive lineman spot to now having a very clear path to playing time as the top rotational defensive end behind Chris Wormley and the man he has most often been compared to, the All-Pro, Cameron Heyward.