Damontae Kazee's Impact Makes Re-Signing Easy Decision for Steelers
When Damontae Kazee signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the league minimum, it was a move that was rightfully praised as Kazee has been a disruptive player in the secondary for the entirety of his career. That move offered promise until things suddenly looked bleak, as Kazee suffered an arm injury in the final preseason game against the Detroit Lions.
Kazee has been through a lot in recent years, tearing his achilles back in a contract year in 2020, and was now facing another lengthy absence due to a fractured arm. It's safe to say that his arrival was worth the wait.
After getting healthy and being inserted into the Steelers' lineup, Kazee was a big boost to a then-struggling defense. His Week 10 return almost directly coincided with T.J. Watt's, but his standalone impact was pretty difficult to ignore.
Kazee registered multiple interceptions for the fourth time in his career, despite only playing in nine regular season games.
Kazee gave the Steelers' defense two primary things; flexibility and playmaking. This was the first time in quite a while that Pittsburgh had a backup safety that was not only capable of playing in the box or playing in center field, but could do both. Even though Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds have been incredible displays of durability during their time together in the steel city, most teams don't have the luxury of having a dual-talented safety on the sidelines in the event of an emergency.
On the playmaking front, Kazee's ball-hawking skills should be to no one's surprise. Think back to his college days at San Diego State where he notched 15 interceptions in his final two collegiate campaigns. In his first year as a starter with the Atlanta Falcons back in 2018, Kazee led the entire NFL in passes picked off with seven. In today's NFL where it's nearly impossible to keep teams from scoring altogether, taking the football away is of the utmost importance, and few guys have been able to consistently do that better than him over the course of his young career.
While that depth is certainly nice to have, the Steelers clearly viewed him as more than that. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin had a detailed plan for Kazee upon his arrival, they just had to wait a bit longer to display it due to his unfortunate injury.
Austin wanted to get more defensive backs on the field whenever he could in order to counter some of the league's best aerial attacks in obvious passing situations. Instead of playing four corners in his dime defense, he opted to insert the best six defensive backs which included all three of his safeties on the field at the same time.
Few NFL teams used more six defensive back looks than the Steelers this past season. Whether that was in the form of a 3-2-6 or 4-1-6 structure, the Steelers were top five in usage rate, according to Sports Info Solutions. With his ability to play single high and move down in the box, Kazee's arrival gave the Steelers the ability to move Minkah Fitzpatrick around a little bit more so that opposing quarterbacks couldn't just avoid him like the plague with him stationary in the middle of the field.
Edmunds has always been an amoeba of sorts, showcasing the ability to play everywhere, whether that be in the slot, the box or in the deep half.
The results of these looks were fruitful, if not staggering to say the least. Let's take a look at the on/off splits with Kazee on the field, courtesy of Sports Info Solutions:
With Kazee on the field:
-0.22 EPA/play
6.5 yards per attempt
1.9 touchdown %
6.5 interception %
With Kazee off the field:
0.04 EPA/play
8.3 yards per attempt
7.1 touchdown %
2.7 interception %
For those unfamiliar with the expected points added advanced statistic, it essentially encapsulates how well a unit executes relative to expectation. The 33rd team explained this very well.
To give you an idea of just how dominant the Steelers were when Kazee was on the field, San Francisco's defense was the top-ranked unit in 2022 with an EPA/play of -0.112, per RBSDM.com. With Kazee on the field, the Steelers were literally twice as effective than the best defense in all of football, an astounding impact for a player that cost the Steelers basically nothing this past season.
Without Kazee on the field, Pittsburgh looked more like a bottom-five defense in EPA/play.
Fitzpatrick is the pillar of the Steelers' secondary, currently locked up on a long-term deal that ties him to Pittsburgh through 2026. But both Edmunds and Kazee are unrestricted free agents this offseason, putting the organization in a bit of a quandary.
It would be a bizarre decision to let both of them walk, such a scenario that seems highly improbable. However, this doesn't need to be an "either-or" decision as the Steelers should be very proactive in retaining not just one of the two players, but both.
The numbers don't lie. Pittsburgh's defense led the NFL in interceptions in 2022 and if they have aspirations to retain that title, keeping Kazee in the fold is a no-brainer decision. It should also be noted that contract negotiations take two to tango and Kazee could very well be looking for an opportunity to start elsewhere. After seeing him perform this past season, it's hard to argue with that line of thinking.
Or he could return to Pittsburgh where he has a very clearly defined sub-package role, one that allows him to roam and play-make on passing downs.
There is no wrong answer for Kazee but losing him to another respective team in free agency would undeniably have negative consequences. It's no secret that Mike Tomlin wants to dominate on the defensive side of the ball. The Steelers were one of the best defenses in the leagues over the second half of the season, and their safety trio played a massive role in making that happen.
Keeping this group for the foreseeable future would be a smart investment.
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