Sunday was the regular-season debut of Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee. Kazee had missed the entire season recovering from a broken arm but got back just in time to get his first game action with teammate T.J. Watt in the 20-10 win over the New Orleans Saints.
Kazee was put into the starting lineup late because of Minkah Fitzpatrick’s unexpected appendicitis, so his activation to the roster was a stroke of exceptional timing. Kazee made the most of it with an interception.
After the game, Kazee talked about his first chance to play with Watt and how impressed he was with him and the impact he had on the entire stadium.
“I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s a different animal.’ And I just knew, and he started pumping the crowd up, and everybody’s screaming,” Kazee said. “He gave me chills on the field.”
With Fitzpatrick out for multiple games, Kazee should have plenty of chances to not only play with Watt but make big plays himself. Kazee was signed as a free agent in part because of his physical nature, and it was on full display on Sunday.
