LATROBE. Pa. -- It wasn't that long ago the name Larry Ogunjobi was one that elicited an emotional response when mentioned by Steelers fans.
After all, the longtime Browns and Bengals player took part in one of the more heated moments in recent Steelers' history, drawing a one-game suspension from the NFL for his part in the melee that took place in late November in the 2019 season.
Ogujobi, coming to the defense of then-teammate Myles Garrett, ran into the action and blasted Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph from behind, knocking him to the ground.
That came after Rudolph and Garrett had gotten mixed up at the end of the Browns' 21-7 victory, with Steelers offensive linemen David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey then tackling and pummeling Garrett on the ground.
Thirty-three players wound up being fined in the aftermath. Garrett was suspended for the remainder of that season, while Ogunjobi and Pouncey also were suspended -- with Pouncey drawing two games for kicking Garrett in the head.
Ogunjobi, who played last season for the Bengals after spending his first four with the Browns, is now teammates with Rudolph after signing with the Steelers in June.
One of the first phone calls he received after agreeing to the one-year, $8-million deal was from Rudolph.
"He reached out when they signed me. I feel like that’s water under the bridge," Ogunjobi said Tuesday as the Steelers reported to training camp here at Saint Vincent College. "That was so long ago. I have no hard feelings. I don’t feel like he has any hard feelings. I feel like men in a sport, sometimes we act out of emotions. I was defending my teammate. I feel like it is what it is. He reached out. It was over the day it happened, at least for me. I’m moving forward. That’s why I’m here."
Actually, why he's here is to help the Steelers offset the retirement of Stephon Tuitt.
After sitting out the 2021 season with a knee injury and while dealing with the untimely death of his brother, Tuitt retired on June 1. The Steelers signed Ogunjobi a few weeks later, meaning Tuesday was the first time he had met several of his new teammates.
Ogunjobi, 28, has big shoes to fill. In his last full season in the NFL in 2020, Tuitt had 42 tackles and 11 sacks, making him one of just three players in the AFC to reach double digits in sacks.
Ogunjobi had a career-high seven sacks last season with the Bengals.
"How do you offset his departure? That dude was a monster," said Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward. "Tuitt, he’s my guy. We’re never looking to replace him, but we’re looking to replace what he brought to the team, what he did on the field. We always called him the mustang because he was always jumping around and making plays. Time will tell. We have like five or six weeks before our first game. We’ve to continue to grow and see what our identity is."
Now in his sixth season. Ogunjobi's identity is that of a solid starting defensive lineman who has an intimate knowledge of the AFC North.
By joining the Steelers, he's now been with three of the four teams within the division.
The Steelers were fortunate he was still available in free agency.
Ogunjobi suffered a foot injury that required surgery in Cincinnati's win over the Raiders in the opening round of last season's playoffs. But that didn't keep the Bears from offering him a three-year, $40.5-million contract early in free agency.
But Chicago's doctors wouldn't pass him on a physical, so the deal fell through. Other teams called, but the situation with the Steelers was too good to pass up.
"I think it was the opportunity, the timing," Ogunjobi said of joining the Steelers. "I feel like it was the right place. I’ve been in the division for six years, so it’s almost like home. Whatever team I’m with, it just feels comfortable."
And the foot? It's getting better each day.
"My foot is OK," Ogunjobi said. "My biggest thing going through the process is that everything happens for a reason. I went through my injury and then bouncing back and rehabbing day by day."
That doesn't mean the Steelers won't be careful with him.
He didn't take part in the team run test Tuesday. And he's expected to ease into things as the Steelers don't open the regular season until Sept. 11 in Cincinnati.
After playing without Tuitt all of last season and then losing nose tackle Tyson Alualu five quarters into the season to a broken ankle, they don't need much reminding of how important it is to have their starting defensive linemen healthy going into the regular season.
With those two missing, the Steelers finished dead last in the NFL in rushing defense despite having Heyward and 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt in their front seven.
"I feel like we can be the No. 1 defense. We understand our goals," said Heyward. "We understand where we fell short last year. But our aspiration is to be the No. 1 defense every time we step out there.
"The run defense was not good last year. If a team can be two-dimensional on you, you’re in for a long day."
Having Ogunjobi on board will help that. He played nose tackle in college at Charlotte. He's been a starting defensive tackle in the NFL in each of the previous four seasons.
He'll certainly bring a level of competence the Steelers just didn't have last season with two starters out -- even if he's not Tuitt, for whom Ogunjobi also has an appreciation.
"Just the way he played the game," Ogunjobi said. "He played the game fast and physical. He was always around the ball, just finding a way to make plays. I feel like that’s my nature, as well. I like to get upfield, make plays and get after the quarterback. I feel like we’re similar in that aspect. I have so much respect for his game."
And a newfound respect for Rudolph, as well.
The Steelers' longtime backup quarterback could have made Ogunjobi's transition to this team an awkward one. After all, in the aftermath of the incident, Garrett claimed Rudolph had used a racial slur toward him, something Rudolph vehemently denied and no credible evidence backed up.
But time heals all wounds.
"We play a very emotional sport. Sometimes you act out of emotion," Ogunjobi said of that incident. "Being able to reach out and say ‘I’m happy for you to be here. I’m excited to work with you.’ That speaks volumes."
