Getty Damontae Kazee #27 of the Atlanta Falcons.
Former Atlanta Falcons safety, Damontae Kazee, is having no trouble finding new deals in the league.
The 2018 interception leader signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, May 2, following a one-year stint in Dallas with the Cowboys, according to NFL Insider Ari Meirov.
The #Steelers officially signed former #Cowboys and #Falcons safety Damontae Kazee, per his agent @Agentbutler1.
Kazee heads to Pittsburgh fresh off of a 2021 season where he started 16 games total between the regular and postseason and recorded 60 tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
He will compete for a starting job at strong safety this offseason.
ALL the latest Falcons news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Falcons newsletter here!
The Truth Always Comes Out
Kazee, 28, spent four seasons with the Falcons before reuniting with former Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn in Dallas last season, and ahead of Week 10’s matchup against their former team, they were asked about their time in the ‘A’.
“The only thing I remember in Atlanta is me getting hurt and me getting kicked out of rehab,” Kazee said via the Dallas Cowboys media on Wednesday, November 10. “That is all I remember.”
Kazee suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 4 of the 2020 season and was working his way back from the injury when he was released.
“They let me go,” Kazee said. “They told me I can’t do rehab up there no more. It surprised me because I thought I was going to finish my rehab up there. But it is what it is. The GM said to leave. So, I got my stuff and left.”
Kazee initially joined the Falcons in 2017 as a fifth-round pick out of San Diego State. Over the course of 52 games and 34 starts he tallied 199 tackles (137 solo), with 13 passes defensed and five forced fumbles. His most notable season came in 2018, when he recorded 82 tackles and had seven interceptions, which was tied for the most interceptions in the NFL that year (Xavien Howard, Kyle Fuller).
While there was no happy ending for Kazee in Atlanta, he claimed that there’s no grudge against them either.
“Nah, nah,” he said. “On to the next. Can’t get mad. That is life. This is a business at the end of the day.”
In five seasons thus far, Kazee has logged 12 career interceptions, seven forced fumbles and 17 pass deflections.
The Falcons Recently Added to Their Secondary
In other news, the Falcons added some help to their secondary this offseason by signing former Lions safety Dean Marlowe.
Marlowe, 29, originally went undrafted in 2015 before being picked up by the Carolina Panthers. He made the team’s 53-man roster as a rookie but had a limited role during his first year. His NFL career in Carolina was cut short due to a hamstring injury that made him miss the 2016 season and in 2017, the Panthers released him. He spent most of the 2017 season hanging around until the Buffalo Bills picked him up in December, where he spent the next three years in a reserve role, bouncing on and off of Buffalo’s practice squad.
But he comes to Atlanta after spending the 2021 season in Detroit. While there, Marlowe started 9 games for the Lions, playing 65% of the total snaps on defense and logging 67 total tackles (37 solo) along with 2 passes defended.
The Falcons’ unofficial ESPN depth chart has Marlowe listed as their starting strong safety, ahead of second-year rookie Richie Grant and another recent free agent signed signing in Teez Tabor.
READ NEXT:
- Trae Young, NFL Fans React to Falcons Drafting USC Star at No. 8 Overall
- Falcons’ GM Working Alongside Special Draft Assistant [LOOK]
- Falcons Trade Up for Stud Defender