Is Steelers' IDL Breiden Fehoko Destined For More Than Just The Practice Squad in 2024?

Pittsburgh steel fans welcome to another episode of Steels warm the show that likes to put you in the minds of Omar Khan Mike Tomlin Andy WID and the rest of se's front office as they look to put together a winning roster in 2024 and Beyond today we are talking about the Pittsburgh seals defensive line we're talking about the depth there's been a lot of questions this offseason already about the depth there's a lot of questions about cam heywood's contract we'll get to that in a later show on this on this network on steels touch and under but today we are talking Braden foko that's right bradden foko who made the russer last year came across as a free agent um after leaving the Los Angeles Chargers a traditional nose tackle we're talking Bren for hoko because there's been a lot of talk about the defensive line as I mentioned earlier also there's a lot of times in the comments where people throughout Braden foko I know there's some regular listeners to us to this channel regular subscribers if you're not a subscriber hit that Bell icon hit that sub button that way you can get all the notifications when we do our lives and and all the shows come out um plus a bunch of other things that we've got coming on the channel but Brandon the hoko is someone that's definitely got the interest of fans and so I thought it'd be worth delving into him particularly as we look at like started to get into training camp and OTAs and really look at who's trying to make the roster he's a guy that the Steels did bring in last year he got brought in um he did he got uh a helmet I think at one or two games um but never actually got any stats didn't see the field fair enough um but when it comes to Bren hoko this year people are still high on him now if he didn't didn't necessarily perform last year and the steers resigned him what's going on well I had a theory on this I had a theory all throughout last year and the theory is is that the Chargers were playing in the before the that they flip their team they were playing more of a 43 style defense um they did do a little bit of three four package three four package but my feeling is that the Steelers wanted Braden for hoko to work on a bunch of different things and that's what they got him to do and obviously he must have proved that through the season for them to go and sign him again perhaps he's even still improving on those things so I actually even though he we didn't see him on the field in 2023 I'm actually quite high that he could still make a difference in 2024 but let's look at a couple things first thing we're going to look at is his competition then we're going to look at where his lineup is so where does he line up on the D line how does that affect with his chance of making the roster and then we'll look at his production to date as well to see what we could expect from him all right if we look at the Steels roster as it stands with the 90 man roster right now in terms of they break things up as defensive ends defensive lineman defensive tackles now a defensive tackle in a 34 which is the defensive scheme of steal his play is very much what a d linan will be in a 43 we going to go the ins and outs three fours and four and 43s today but de Marv is a defensive end people already saying does he need to becomeing a big outside linebacker Benton is considered a d lineman and pretty much everyone else is listed as a defensive tackle on Tris Adams Cameron Haywood Logan Lee Isaiah ladil Dean Lowry Jonathan Marshall who Flo around the practice squad lario jobi Jacob Slade and then I think they've got voko listed all the way down um they might have him there as no so they don't even have him on this side of things that's kind of interesting however this the way this roster's set up right now as well is it's kind of interesting yeah yeah there we go broko tackle and you might find him um there between Ellen and obviously D so when you look at it though he's a def lineman obviously he's the only considered the only specialist known as tackle the Steelers have tried different guys in there the Steelers got um brought back montrais Adams he's played interior but really and Arman wats from last year was probably a closer um was more on the interior guy D Lowry is more of a defensive end in the three four as well rather than offensive tackle so I really think and we haven't really seen Marshall make the roster um Slade is someone that they've um you know they're probably not going to be you know necessarily putting on the roster either so I think really it comes down to louder milk and Le Al for who foko is fighting for in terms of a roster spot but as we said foko is considered a nose tackle much like a Casey Hampton's type now if we look at foko he has played 447 snaps so far in the NFL did not see the field last year so he's played 2022 2021 20120 after being a udfa um out of Texas Tech and LSU um into the charges now he has played the majority of his snaps um at the covering over the a gap right so obviously that that that first cap there covering over terms of where the center is that 245 snaps 185 snaps covering the B capap and only 17 snaps um over the tackle so he is definitely an interior rusher that is where you were going to get the pressure from Braden foko you're going to see him on the heavy run plays for example now if you look at him from overall stats perspective the guy according to Pro reference it will diff between that and PFF um PFF numbers are that little bit different they have him I think it was yeah 27 tackles but in fact um combined tackles it's 36 tackles for pro football reference we're going to go with pro football reference I trust them more on this stat but they don't show you where people lining up so that's why I couldn't use um them them through in terms of the a gap and the B Gap but BR for hoko 36 tackles overall 15 solo 21 assist one tackle for a loss no quarterback hits um but like that is what it is no sacks um that's just that that's his stats um one thing I did find was interesting though when I looked at his stats was his missed tackles in 2022 was his most productive year he actually had no M tackles verus 7% on the previous year that's not too bad it's pretty rare you see someone in the NFL on defensive line particular with the run plays and stuff like that and like the the breaking runs and the blocking and fullbacks and stuff like that it's pretty rare you're going to see someone had like literally no Miss tackles um it is interesting because in 2022 Prof reference have them at 13.8% and in 20121 um sorry PFF have him at 13.8% M tackles and then they have zero Miss tackles in 2021 even still very low that he can go a whole season with that contribution but they have him a lot less tackles that's why the percentage is higher um than what proall um reference has so what does it mean for Braden for hoko well he's the special nose tackle on the roster is when we went through when I just went through all those players I do think he is genuinely competing with louder milk I think he's competing with um very much he's competing with Leal I think he's competing with Jonathan Marshall for that spot but they did bring him back they didn't bring back armman wants to go decent contract he's also in some ways competing with montrais Adams who played interior but montrais Adams can play interior more on the sub package more in certain three four sets so I actually think Braden foko is a better chance of making the 53 in 2024 than he was in 2023 and I think the steals have obviously set him things to work on the Steels wanted some more proven guys last year um I think if Cam would have been fitter for longer we might have seen Boko Tri at different points but I am excited to see what foko can bring in training camp is he still likely to be stuck on the practice squad quite possibly the start out that may be what happens but as I say I think the chances are higher for him to make the roster but you let me know in the comments what do you think about Bren for hoko is he is he just a udfa that's going nowhere is this someone that steers shouldn't be wasting their time on or are you really high on for hoko and what he can do anyway you let me know in the comments we'll be back with more through the course of the week as always ghost dealers