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Stephon Tuitt

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Stephon Tuitt
refer to caption
Tuitt with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015
No. 91
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1993-05-23) May 23, 1993 (age 31)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:303 lb (137 kg)
Career information
High school:Monroe Area (Monroe, Georgia)
College:Notre Dame (2011–2013)
NFL draft:2014 / round: 2 / pick: 46
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:246
Sacks:34.5
Forced fumbles:6
Fumble recoveries:1
Interceptions:1
Pass deflections:13
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Stephon Jakiel Tuitt (born May 23, 1993) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft.

Early life

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Tuitt attended Monroe Area High School in Monroe, Georgia. As a junior, he recorded 56 tackles, 24 for loss, including 10 sacks and four forced fumbles. In 2010, as a senior, he led Monroe Area to an 11–2 record and third-round appearance in the Georgia Class AAA state playoffs, after Monroe Area had finished a combined 0–20 the previous two seasons. His efforts led to him being selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.

Rated as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the 2nd best strongside defensive end in the nation, he accepted a scholarship offer from Notre Dame over offers from Georgia Tech and Georgia.[1]

College career

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Tuitt during his tenure with Notre Dame in 2013

As a freshman, Tuitt began his collegiate career by playing in 9 games, 3 in which he started. He recorded 30 tackles, including 3 for loss, and two sacks to go along with five quarterback hurries. He received Third-Team Freshman All-America honors by Phil Steele.

In his sophomore season, Tuitt earned a starting position and recorded 42 tackles, including 13 for loss, 12 sacks, 9 quarterback hurries, and 3 forced fumbles. He also returned a 77-yard fumble for a touchdown against Navy. Tuitt earned second team All-American honors by the Associated Press.[2] As a junior in 2013, after dealing with the effects from off-season hernia surgery,[3] he totaled 49 tackles, including 9 for a loss, 7.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception return for a touchdown against Michigan. At the end of the season, Tuitt was named a first team All-American by Sports Illustrated, Athlon ESPN.com, and CBS Sports, in addition to a variety of other honors.[4]

On January 5, 2014, Tuitt announced he would forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2014 NFL draft.[5]

College statistics

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Year Team Games Tackles Sacks Pass Defense Fumbles Blkd
Solo Ast Total TFL – Yds No – Yds Int – Yds BU PD Qbh Rcv – Yds FF Kick Saf
2011 Notre Dame 9 11 19 30 3.0 – 21 2.0 – 18 0 – 0 1 1 5 0 – 0 0 0 0
2012 Notre Dame 13 24 23 47 13.0 – 93 12.0 – 89 0 – 0 1 1 9 1 – 77 3 1 0
2013 Notre Dame 13 24 25 49 9.0 – 62 7.5 – 56 1 – 0 2 3 13 0 – 0 1 0 0
Career 35 59 68 127 25.0 – 176 21.5 – 163 1 – 0 4 5 27 1 – 77 4 1 0

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Coming out of Notre Dame, Tuitt was projected by the majority of analysts to be a first or second-round pick. He was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine but was able only to perform the bench press due to a foot injury. Scouts were conflicted as to whether Tuitt was more apt to be a defensive tackle or a defensive end in the NFL. On March 14, 2014, Tuitt attended Notre Dame's pro day and performed for 59 team representatives and scouts from all 32 teams. Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin were the only coaches who attended. Tomlin flew to South Bend specifically to meet with Tuitt, although he was unable to perform physically after having surgery on his foot the previous week.[6] He was ranked as the second best defensive end prospect in the draft by NFL analyst Mike Mayock, was ranked the fourth best defensive tackle prospect by NFLDraftScout.com, and the sixth best defensive tackle by Sports Illustrated.[7][8]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash Bench press
6 ft 5+1⁄2 in
(1.97 m) 		304 lb
(138 kg) 		34+3⁄4 in
(0.88 m) 		10 in
(0.25 m)		 4.92 s 31 reps
All values from NFL Combine[9]

2014

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The Steelers drafted Tuitt in the second round (46th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft.[10] On June 18, 2014, the Steelers signed him to a four-year, $4.60 million contract with $2.72 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.67 million.[11]

He entered training camp his rookie year, competing with Cameron Heyward, Brett Kiesel, and Cam Thomas for a starting defensive end position. To begin the regular season, he was named the backup weakside defensive end behind Heyward.[12]

He made his professional regular season debut in the Steelers' season-opener against the Cleveland Browns. The next game, he recorded his first career tackle in the Steelers' 26–6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. On December 7, 2014, he made his first career start against the Cincinnati Bengals and finished the 42–21 victory with two combined tackles. In Week 16, Tuitt collected a season-high three solo tackles and made his first career sack on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith. He also forced a fumble from Chiefs' running back Jamaal Charles and helped the Steelers defeat the Chiefs, 20–12. He finished his rookie season with 19 combined tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery while appearing in all 16 regular season games and starting four of them.[13] He received an overall grade of 43.0 from Pro Football Focus (PFF) in 2014.[14]

The Steelers finished the season with an 11–5 record to clinch an AFC North pennant. On January 3, 2015, he appeared in his first career playoff game and made two solo tackles as the Steelers lost, 30–17, in the AFC Wildcard game to the Ravens.

2015

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Tuitt entered training camp competing for the vacant starting defensive end position left by the retirement of Brett Kiesel. He was named a starting defensive end to begin the season, after beating out teammates Cam Thomas, Leterrius Walton, Clifton Geathers, Caushaud Lyons, and Joe Kruger.[15]

He started the season opener against the New England Patriots and assisted on one tackle during the 21–28 loss. The next game, Tuitt made four combined tackles and 1.5 sacks on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, helping the Steelers win, 43–18. On September 27, 2015, he collected seven combined tackles and a sack on St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles. The following week, Tuitt made a career-high ten solo tackles and sacked Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco during the Steelers' 20–23 loss. During a Week 14 matchup against the Bengals, Tuitt recorded his first career interception off a shovel pass from quarterback Andy Dalton.[16] In the last game of the season, a victory over the Browns, he racked up four total tackles and a season-high two sacks on Brown's quarterback Austin Davis.[13] Pro Football Focus gave Tuitt an overall grade of 80.4 in 2015.[14]

He finished his second season with 54 tackles, 6.5 sacks, one interception, and one pass defended while appearing in 14 regular season games and starting all of them. The Steelers finished the season with a 10–6 record and advanced to the playoffs. In the AFC Wildcard game, Tuitt recorded three combined tackles, as the Steelers defeated the Bengals, 18–16. The following week, the Steelers lost to the eventual Super Bowl 50 champions, the Denver Broncos. In the 16–23 loss, Tuitt collected four combined tackles.

2016

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Tuitt returned as the Steelers' starting defensive end to begin the 2016 regular season. In the Steelers' 38–16 season-opening defeat of the Washington Redskins, Tuitt only made one tackle throughout the game. On September 25, 2016, he collected five solo tackles, as the Steelers were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles, 3–34. On November 13, 2016, Tuitt racked up three combined tackles and sacked Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott for his first of the season, as the Steelers lost, 35–30.[13] The next game, Tuitt helped the Steelers win, 24–9, after finishing the game with five combined tackles and a season-high two sacks on Browns' quarterback Josh McCown.[17] He was voted AFC Defensive Player of the week for his performance over Cleveland.[18]

During a Week 15 matchup against the Bengals]l, Tuitt left the game after suffering a knee injury on the first drive and missed the next two games.[19] Tuitt received an overall grade of 82.0 from Pro Football Focus and was ranked 21st among all qualified interior defensive linemen in 2016.[14][20]

He finished the regular season with 37 combined tackles (29 solo), four sacks, and three pass deflections in 14 games and 14 starts. The Steelers finished first in the AFC North with an 11–5 record. On January 8, 2017, Tuitt recorded four combined tackles in a 30–12 AFC Wildcard game victory over the Miami Dolphins.

2017

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On September 9, 2017, the Steelers signed Tuitt to a five-year, $60 million contract extension with an $11 million signing bonus and $13 million guaranteed.[21][11]

Tuitt and Cameron Heyward returned as the Steelers' starting defensive end duo to begin the regular season. He started the Steelers' season-opening 21–18 victory over the Browns, but left after suffering an injury on the second play of the game and finished with only one tackle. The injury was confirmed to be a tear to his biceps that kept him from playing in Weeks 2–3.[22] After returning for two games, Tuitt then suffered a back injury that kept him out of Weeks 7–8.[23] In Week 17, he collected a season-high five combined tackles during a 28–24 win against the Browns. He finished the season with 25 combined tackles (19 solo), three sacks, and two pass deflections in 12 games and 12 starts.[13] Pro Football Focus gave Tuitt an overall grade of 86.1, which ranked him 18th among all interior defensive linemen in 2017.[24]

2018

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In week 8 against the Browns, Tuitt recorded 7 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 pass defended as the Steelers won 33–18.[25] In week 10 against the Carolina Panthers, Tuitt hyper extended his elbow and missed the next two games against the Jaguars and Broncos. He made his return in week 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers.[26] Tuitt finished the season with 45 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 4 passes defended. He received an overall grade of 81.8 from Pro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked as the 21st highest grade among all qualifying interior defenders.[27]

2019

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In Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Tuitt sacked Russell Wilson 2.5 times as the Steelers lost 28–26.[28] In Week 3 against the 49ers, Tuitt recorded a sack on Jimmy Garoppolo in the 24–20 loss.[29] On October 15, 2019, he was placed on injured reserve after suffering a torn pec in a Week 6 game against the Chargers.[30][31]

2020

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Tuitt made his return from injury in Week 1 against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. During the game, Tuitt recorded his first sack of the season on Daniel Jones in the 26–16 win.[32] In Week 5 against the Eagles, Tuitt recorded 1.5 sacks on Carson Wentz during the 38–29 win. Tuitt's 3.5 sacks during the first four games of the 2020 season tied his previous season's total.[33] In Week 8 against the Ravens, Tuitt recorded nine tackles and two sacks on Lamar Jackson during the 28–24 win.[34] On November 4, 2020, Tuitt was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 8.[35] In Week 11 against the Jaguars Tuitt recorded his seventh sack (single season career high) of the season on Jake Luton during the 27–3 win.[36] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 27, 2020,[37] and activated on December 5.[38] In Week 16 against the Indianapolis Colts, Tuitt recorded his tenth sack of the season on Philip Rivers during the 28–24 win.[39] He finished the season with a career high 11 sacks, as well as 45 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.[40]

2021

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On September 1, 2021, Tuitt was placed on injured reserve to start the season.[41] While coping with the death of his brother and dealing with a lingering knee injury, he did not play in a single game during the 2021 season[42]

2022

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On June 1, 2022, Tuitt announced his retirement from professional football.[43]

NFL statistics

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Year Team GP COMB TOTAL AST SACK FF FR FR YDS INT IR YDS AVG IR LNG TD PD
2014 PIT 16 19 13 6 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2015 PIT 14 54 39 15 6.5 0 0 0 1 3 3 3 0 1
2016 PIT 14 37 28 9 4.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
2017 PIT 12 25 19 6 3.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
2018 PIT 14 45 27 18 5.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
2019 PIT 6 22 18 4 3.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020 PIT 15 45 33 12 11.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Career 91 245 175 70 34.5 6 0 0 1 3 3 3 0 13

[44]

Personal life

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On June 2, 2021, Tuitt's younger brother, Richard Bartlett III, was killed in a hit and run in Johns Creek, Georgia.[45]

References

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  1. ^ Stephon Tuitt - Yahoo Sports
  2. ^ Tuitt Makes AP All-America Team
  3. ^ Tuitt still recovering from hernia
  4. ^ "Stephon Tuitt". July 9, 2018.
  5. ^ "Notre Dame DE Stephon Tuitt will enter the 2014 NFL Draft". NFL.com. January 5, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  6. ^ "2014 Pro Day Coverage". und.com. March 20, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  7. ^ Mike Mayock (May 5, 2014). "Mayock's rankings". NFL.com. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  8. ^ "*Stephon Tuitt, DS #4 DT, Notre Dame". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  9. ^ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Stephon Tuitt". NFL.com.
  10. ^ "2014 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Sportrac.com: Stephon Tuitt contract". sportrac.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  12. ^ "Ourlads.com: Pittsburgh Steeler's Depth Chart". ourlads.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  13. ^ a b c d "NFL Player Profile: Stephon Tuitt". NFL.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  14. ^ a b c Wooden, Ryan (July 18, 2017). "Stephon Tuitt has shown encouraging growth every year with Steelers". All22.com. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  15. ^ "Ourlads.com: 2015 Pittsburgh Steeler's Depth Chart". ourlads.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  16. ^ "Steelers vs. Bengals highlights: Watch Stephon Tuitt celebrate his interception". Steelers Wire. December 13, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  17. ^ "NFL Game Center: Week 11-2016: Pittsburgh Steelers Vs. Cleveland Browns". NFL.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  18. ^ Lam, Quang M. (November 23, 2016). "Tom Brady, Kirk Cousins among Players of Week". NFL.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2016.
  19. ^ Popejoy, Curt (December 18, 2016). "Stephon Tuitt out for game with one injury". steelerswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  20. ^ "Contract extension for Stephon Tuitt next on Steelers to-do list". fanragsports.com. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  21. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (September 9, 2017). "Steelers sign Stephon Tuitt to 5-year, $60M extension". NFL.com.
  22. ^ "UPDATED: Biceps injury might not even keep Stephon Tuitt out one game". SandiegoUniontribune.com. September 11, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  23. ^ Hartman, Jeff (October 26, 2017). "Report: Steelers DE Stephon Tuitt will miss game Sunday vs. Lions with back injury". Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  24. ^ "Pro Football Focus: Stephon Tuitt". ProFootballFocus.com. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  25. ^ Marczi, Matthew (October 30, 2018). "Stephon Tuitt 'Played Very Dominantly' Against Browns According To Heyward". steelersdepot.com. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  26. ^ Varley, Teresa (November 30, 2018). "Week 13 Injury Report (Chargers)". steelers.com. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  27. ^ "Pro Football Focus: Stephon Tuitt". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  28. ^ "Wilson, Seahawks edge Steelers 28-26 as Roethlisberger exits". ESPN. September 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  29. ^ "Sloppy 49ers beat Steelers 24-20 on late Garoppolo TD pass". ESPN. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  30. ^ Pryor, Brooke (October 14, 2019). "Steelers put DE Stephon Tuitt on IR with pectoral injury". ESPN.com.
  31. ^ "Tuitt placed on reserve/injured list". Steelers.com. October 15, 2019.
  32. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants - September 14th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  33. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers - October 11th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  34. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens - November 1st, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  35. ^ Gordon, Grant (November 4, 2020). "Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, Vikings RB Dalvin Cook among Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  36. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars - November 22nd, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  37. ^ Varley, Teresa (November 27, 2020). "Steelers place three on Reserve/COVID-19 List". Steelers.com. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  38. ^ Varley, Teresa (December 5, 2020). "Steelers activate Tuitt". Steelers.com. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  39. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 27th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  40. ^ "Stephon Tuitt Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  41. ^ Varley, Teresa (September 1, 2021). "Roster moves continue for Steelers". Steelers.com.
  42. ^ Friedl, Melanie; er (September 14, 2021). "The Doctor Is In: Updating Stephon Tuitt's Knee Injury". Steelers Depot. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  43. ^ "Tuitt announces his retirement". www.steelers.com. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  44. ^ "Stephon Tuitt Stats". Pro Football Reference. Pro Football Reference. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  45. ^ Woods, Amanda (June 4, 2021). "Brother of Steelers star Stephon Tuitt killed in Georgia hit-and-run". New York Post. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
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