When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Chris Wormley to a two-year contract in March, they thought they were keeping a second free agent defensive linemen from departing in free agency.

Two days earlier, Tyson Alualu had agreed to terms on a two-year contract to return to Jacksonville, where he spent the first seven NFL seasons.

By retaining Wormley, who was acquired in a 2020 trade with the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers were assured of not losing another veteran in their defensive line rotation.

Then, Alualu had a change of heart and decided to accept a slightly lesser offer to return to the Steelers, a move that kept the makeup of the entire defensive line intact.

Having Wormley under contract for two more years seemed like a luxury rather than a necessity for the Steelers. Six months later, well, that’s no longer the case.

Wormley will start at defensive end – lining up next to Alualu at nose tackle – when the Steelers open the season at the Buffalo Bills. It’s a starting role he could fill for the first three weeks of the season – the minimum amount of time that Stephon Tuitt must spend on injured reserve.

No wonder defensive coordinator Keith Butler recently said of Wormley: “I’m glad we got him and kept him.”

Wormley spent the 2020 season, his first with the Steelers, pretty much under the radar. He played in 13 games, but his only start was in the meaningless season finale at Cleveland. A knee injury that initially surfaced in training camp kept him out for three weeks, he logged as many as a dozen defensive snaps in just two games and he totaled a meager eight tackles and one sack.

With Alualu also taking the snaps at defensive end when Cam Heyward or Tuitt needed a breather and the Steelers playing so frequently in the nickel package, Wormley had difficulty carving out a role on the defense.

He was determined to change that in 2021.

“My number one goal this camp was to stay healthy and for the most part, I have,” Wormley said. “Just to get those reps day in and day out and continue to build on what you did the day before was big for me. It’s so important because I didn’t get that time last year, and I think it showed during the season. I got hurt again and that trust between the coaches and I wasn’t quite there last year.

“My biggest thing this year was to get that trust and get in-game reps and practice reps and build off it.”

Nobody, though, expected it to transpire the way it did – with Tuitt missing the entire preseason after the tragic death of his brother in a hit-and-run accident and then sustaining a knee injury that landed him on IR.

“Obviously, what he went through this past offseason was traumatic,” Wormley said. “I’m taking the reps I’m getting and trying to build off that. The biggest thing for all of us is that when he does come back into play, that we don’t skip a beat. I think that’s what we’re all working toward.”

Wormley is capable of filling in at all three positions on the defensive line. Although Wormley said nose tackle is his “weakest” spot, that is where he lined up in several preseason games while Alualu played sparingly.

“He’s maturing in our defense,” defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said. “Getting him here last year and now that he has a season under his belt, he’s doing fine.”

With Alualu back at nose for the regular season, Wormley can concentrate on his more familiar position on the outside. And perhaps put up the type of numbers and get the significant playing time that eluded him in 2020.

“Ever since he’s been here, his attributes fit the prototypical 3-4 end,” Alualu said. “It definitely helps having Cam and Tuitt to learn behind and see how they play blocks, see how they do in the classroom. It only helps elevate his game.

“I think that’s where he’s at now, learning the defense and taking the next step to being that player we need on the field.”

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