Steelers DL Stephon Tuitt Out for Season With Pec Injury

With Devin Bush holding things down in the middle, TJ Watt causing havoc on the outside, and Minkah Fitzpatrick playing his tail off in the secondary, it looked like the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense finally turned a corner. All that progress could be undone thanks to the loss of Stephon Tuitt.

The versatile defensive lineman was injured during the first quarter of Pittsburgh's game against the Los Angeles Chargers, and further tests revealed Tuitt tore his pectoral muscle, which will sideline him for the rest of 2019.

The @Steelers outstanding DL Stephon Tuitt did tear pectoral and will need surgery, out for year, per sources. No longer a “fear” but reality. Another huge setback for team.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) October 14, 2019

After stumbling out of the gates, the former second-round pick put of Notre Dame is quickly proving his worth as both a pass rusher (3.5 sacks this season) and a run stuffer. He has been graded as an "elite" defensive tackle (89.4) by Pro Football Focus, and had created one of the most unblockable tandems inside between him and Cam Heyward.

The Steelers do not have tons of depth behind him at the moment, as former Jaguars first-round pick Tyson Alualu and 2019 sixth-round pick Isaiah Buggs are expected to get the lion's share of the snaps with Tuitt on the shelf.

Steelers lose Stephon Tuitt for season https://t.co/CWWHmTM1qc
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 14, 2019

The injury bug has been killer for the Steelers this season, as it's taken two quarterbacks and a star defensive lineman away from them.