First, can you let us know what the offseason has been like for you?
The offseson has been going well. Honestly I’ve been focusing on staying in a rhythm and staying consistent. That’s the biggest thing for me. There’s always a lot of outside stuff going on – I just wanted to stay locked in on the main thing – football. You have a lot of freedom in the offseason with open schedules.
So for me, I just spent time with my family, worked and stayed humble. This is a big season for me – and for the Steelers. I want to be a part of it.
Anything specific you want to work on going into next season – anything discussed in exit interviews?
I’m working on getting more explosive. I feel like I’m pretty explosive now but I’m working on making sure I have no wasted movement in and out of my breaks and keeping my hips loose so I can get downfield faster. That’s the main thing – playing loose and explosive translates to on-field success for a linebacker.
Why sign with Pittsburgh?
The tradition! Once I got the opportunity it was a no-brainer. Coach T. is one of the winningest coaches in football. There were so many good things I heard about him.
When I got there it felt like home. Everyone there knew the standard – everyone knows what to expect and what the goals are. As a linebacker especially, being in Pittsburgh and the history of linebackers in that defense – that just helps me in my ultimate goal to play like a legend.
Moving around a bit between teams, how did growing up in a Navy family help with that – if it did?
There was an interview a while ago that kind of misrepresented my time growing up. It made it seem like I moved from 15 different cities. I only lived in Georgia, New Jersey and Virginia – and Virginia was in my early childhood – I barely remember it. But I went through a lot in my life – a lot of hardships – that was more relevant than moving.
What did help was the fact I had four different coaches at Temple. That was more relevant than playing for four different schools. Everything they instill in you each year gets lost or replaced as new coaches come in who try to teach you a different standard and different scheme.
That helped prepare me – every year I had to learn a new defense and new terminology. That helped me to learn how to retain information and translate new terminology. Often things are the same just the terminology is different – you just have to figure out how it works for you.
Did you have mentors in Tampa Bay that helped you most?
Lavonte David kept me on my Ps and Qs. William Gholston told me something I’ll never forget “Don’t count your reps. Make your reps count.” That stayed with me. As a seventh rounder playing behind veterans and All-Pros and being the only rookie in the linebacker room could get frustrating as you tried to get reps. Especially in a Covid year. I didn’t get the chance to express myself on the field. When it’s live and in-between the lines it’s all different.
Kevin Minter helped too – as did Coach Caldwell who looked out for me and installed in me what I needed to look out for.
We also have a lot of Temple guys in the NFL. Tyler Matekevich – a former Steeler – told me the key to longevity in the NFL is being a difference-maker on special teams. You want to play on defense, but as a seventh rounder you have to play special teams well and get in the special teams coach’s ear. Other Temple guys like Rock Ya Sin – those guys helped me. Temple gets overlooked a lot but we have a lot of guys in the NFL and we’re a close-knit family. We all help each other and keep in touch.
Who in Pittsburgh showed you the ropes – how so?
Myles Jack – I played with him in Jacksonville. In fact the Steelers GM called Myles Jack and asked him about me. Myles put a good word on my name and that helped bring me to Pittsburgh.
At the building, Myles helped show me how things worked there. He told me that this wasn’t Jacksonville and showed me how they did things there. Diontae Johnson was very helpful too – and Cam Sutton and Terrell Edmunds. I trained with Cam and Diontae in Tampa Bay so they were familiar faces and Terrell was like my brother there. If I looked like I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be doing Diontae was there to help.
A lot of turnover on the team – many of those guys you named are no longer there. How hard is that for you and do you see that as an opportunity as well?
It was hard – a lot of football is about the relationships that you build that help you in your success. Coaches and players. Seeing them come and go hurts. But you take what they instilled in you and carry that tradition.
I definitely look at some of it as an opportunity. So much of this is a business though – you have to handle your own business. No matter what happens, you have to try and force the hand of the GM to keep you – to give them no way to question you. But it does suck to see guys come and go.
Did you speak to any of the new guys?
I spoke to Elandon Roberts when he was hanging out with Mark Robinson. Once we’re in the linebacker room we’re all family, no matter what. But it’s still a business. It’s great to build those relationships but you have to put something good on tape – that’s not something anyone can do for me.
How did the defense evolve over your time there from your perspective?
We hit a bump early on when we lost TJ Watt. That definitely played a role in how we played and changed on defense. When you take a guy like that off the field that affects your second and long and third down packages. Highsmith picked it up but then they were able to chip him instead and there’s just no one that can come in and be dominant like Watt.
In the linebacker room we weren’t producing turnovers. No interceptions or forced fumbles. We joked about it a bit in week five and six but then it got serious. We were trying to change things to account for TJ being out – different coverages and blitzes. They weren’t completely new to us off course but we did have to learn some new things and change some things. When you have a guy like TJ you can have your safeties sit back and make plays instead of having to blitz guys. Having to blitz makes it harder.
What was the practice squad like for you – any good memories come from those practices?
It was a learning curve, for sure, but a chance to strap on my helmet and compete against the ones. I manned up versus DJ in the slot, Freiermuth out wide, and Najee in the backfield. That prepares you for Sundays! Coach T. likes us to compete – he doesn’t want to see the offense just shit on the defense. He wants us out there competing and giving good looks. Covering guys like Najee and Freiermuth – one of the best tight ends in the NFL – that’s my bread and butter. When we’d watch film of practice and Coach T. brought up my play, that brightened my mood. Dan Moore even asked if I was a pass rusher in college – he thought I was an outside linebacker. I started developing some good pass rush moves though I’ve always played on the inside. Cole and Daniels would talk to me about my inside rushes too.
I know they are short at outside linebacker – any chance at getting some looks there?
I was always told the more you can do the more you will do! In college I almost played both ways – in high school I played quarterback, safety, backer… I am a versatile player and I think that will translate well over time. I’m anxious to show that and think this is the year Pittsburgh will see that. The Pittsburgh tradition and style of play suits me well – they like us to be aggressive. When Mike T. talked to me about next season, he told me that as a seventh round pick on his third team, I needed to get the trust of the coaches before they’d throw me out there. I respected his honestly.
Any memories that stand out most for you of your time in Pittsburgh so far?
I think when Coach. T talks about me when we watch film. They call me “Deuce”. When I’d make a play he’d say “We need that shit Deuce!” Then he’d tell the team “If you can’t block Deuce, how are you going to block Roquan Smith!” I was thinking to myself, “Wait a minute – I’m no scrub!” But I embraced being that guy on tape and representing those guys in practice.
What will it take do you think to make the 53?
I just have to be the consistent dog I know I am. And it starts with special teams. Omar Khan told me that they want me here, but before I can get a role on defense I have to prove myself on special teams. Danny Smith I was told really likes me – he stuck his neck out for me wanting me to be on the 53. But I have to show I can really dominate ons special teams to do so.
Any fun stories you can share so far of your time in Pittsburgh?
One fun thing I guess – some of us after practice get together and all go to the studio and make music together. There’s a guy we know that has a couple of studios near the facility – and he looks out for us. He lets us come in and work. Terrell, Trey Norwood, Marcus Allen, Witherspoon, Kendrell Green, Ant Miller – well just like to go in and vibe in our free time. And play a little blackjack!
You spoke before about going through some hardships on your road to getting here. Can you share what you experienced and how those affected you?
I come from a great family but we had a lot of hardships, yeah. Everybody has a story. I’ve been at the bottom and didn’t think I had any place to go. We had a tough family situation growing up and I had two injuries in college. I always prevailed though. I’m not a fan of someone telling me that I can’t do something – I always feel like I can do something. I hold my family strong – ten toes down.
I’ve been knocked down a lot – I know like I said, that everyone has a story. Growing up, we didn’t have a home or car. We often lived in motels. I lost my father early on and we had to worry about where we’d sleep many nights.
When I got to college I tore my ACL – they were all down on me after that. They doubted that I could come back. I just told them I’d get my knee right and come back, and I did. But then I tore any ACL again. When I saw Odell Beckham’s tweet about having no ACL, that was me. I was the leading tackler on my team in college with no ACL. But I came back again.
After I was drafted, the woman I considered my second mother passed away from Covid. There were just a lot of ups and downs. My mother was the queen of the house – she pushed us and led the way. But being raised with no father – I had to learn how to carry myself differently. That weighed on me. But I took the cards I was dealt and played through them. I don’t honestly know though, if I didn’t experience those hardships, would I have approached things in life differently. Would I have stayed humble and disciplined?
Lastly, what should we know about you that has nothing to do with football?
I think just my character – I battled through things emotionally and physically but persevered. Now I know nothing can break me. When I tore my ACL, I knew I could overcome it. I had gone through much worse.
I think that reflects my character. I’m excited to go back to camp and who that every day. I’m excited about the new linebackers and new linebacker coach and getting things going. I’m only one of two inside linebackers returning to the team. I want to take advantage of that. I’m ready for it!
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
