After making an addition along the defensive interior during the opening round of the draft, the Steelers are parting ways with a veteran at that spot. Defensive tackle Montravius Adams is being released, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. 
A rotational player throughout his eight years (and seven seasons) in the NFL, Adams had been in Pittsburgh since the midway point of the 2021 campaign. He made a total of 46 appearances and 21 starts during his tenure with the Steelers, with his heaviest workload coming in 2023. Last year, the 29-year-old saw his snap share fall to 27% while playing 11 games.
During this weekend’s draft, the Steelers – which still have the likes of Cameron Heyward, Keeanu Benton and Logan Lee in the fold – made a pair of moves along the D-line. That included the selection of Oregon’s Derrick Harmon on Day 1 along with Iowa product Yahya Black during the fifth round. With those two now in the mix, the decision to move on from Adams comes as little surprise.
One season remained on the former third-rounder’s contract, but none of his scheduled base salary was guaranteed. As a result, Pittsburgh will yield $2.25MM in cap savings with this release while generating a dead money charge of only $875K. The team entered Monday with over $31MM in cap space, but this cut will add even further to that figure.
Adams has reached or surpassed 20 tackles on three occasions during his career, but he has eclipsed five QB pressures or one sack only once in a single season. Known to be a non-factor against the pass, he will now look to find a new opportunity with a team eyeing help against the run.