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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Esezi Otomewo in a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 4, 2026.. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers are re-signing defensive lineman Esezi Otomewo to a one-year contract, his agency told NFL Network on Monday. Terms of the deal were not released.
Otomewo, 27, joined the Steelers in 2025 and started the year out way down the depth chart, but thanks to a series of injuries and his strong play, ended up getting several opportunities, and impressed in them.
Otomewo started the season behind starters Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton and Derrick Harmon, backups Daniel Ekuale, Dean Lowry and Isaiahh Loudermilk, and young Steelers draft picks Logan Lee and Yayha Black.
But attrition slowly shortened the Steelers’ lines over the course of the season. Lowry was lost to a season-ending knee injury in training camp, Loudermilk ended up missing the rest of the season after an early-year ankle injury, and Ekuale tore his ACL in the first third of the season, as well.
That put Otomewo solidly in the mix for playing time, and he made his Steelers debut in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, playing 10 snaps. When Harmon missed time late in the year with a knee injury, Otomewo stepped into a bigger role. From Week 13 to Week 16, he played 37% of the team’s defensive snaps, while the Steelers went 3-1.
Otomewo finished the season with ten tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit and one sack, against the Miami Dolphins.
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Otomewo signed with the team early last offseason after spending the last two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 6-foot-5, 282-pound defensive lineman appeared in four games in four games in 2024 while remaining on the Jacksonville practice squad, and made two starts for the Jaguars, recording four tackles and two quarterback hits. He played a total of 90 defensive snaps and also was a multi-phase special teams player, working on kickoff return, kickoff coverage, punt return and field goal units.
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Esezi Otomewo (90) celebrates during an NFL preseason football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. Jaguars defeated the Buccaneers, 20-7. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
Otomewo did not appear at all in the 2023 season. The Indianapolis native was originally a fifth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2022 NFL Draft coming out of Minnesota. He played in five games, recording five tackles, one for a loss for the Vikings in 2022.
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