Olasunkanmi Adeniyi has all of the respect in the world for former Steelers star James Harrison.
And just in case Adeniyi, who is called Ola by his teammates, didn't know who Harrison was, which was unlikely, he gets reminded of it every day. He's wearing the No. 92 jersey made famous by Harrison over the past decade.
"I don't think about it. Obviously, it's a great number to wear. Everybody in the city of Pittsburgh knows the number," Adeniyi told me. "I'll probably get comparisons to him for a while. I don't look at that as pressure. If you start thinking about that, it takes your focus off football."
And he can't afford for that to happen, especially not with one final preseason game yet to play when the Steelers host Carolina Thursday.
But the comparisons are natural.
Like Harrison, a former Kent star, Adeniyi played his college football in the MAC, at Toledo. Like Harrison, he is an undersized former college defensive end at 6-foot-1, 248 pounds. And like Harrison, Adeniyi joined the Steelers as an undrafted rookie.
What he would like to avoid are the multiple times Harrison -- the Steelers' all-time sacks leader -- was released before finally sticking with the Steelers for good.
Adeniyi will try to avoid that with one more solid preseason performance.
Adeniyi has recorded seven tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble thus far, though he has yet to make a tackle on special teams. He's been around the ball a lot, much like Harrison was throughout his career.
"Going into this, I came here in with the goal to make things happen," Adeniyi said. "Going undrafted, I had a chip on my shoulder. I have to do more than a drafted guy would. All you can do is hustle and show you're motivated."
Kind of like Harrison.
But you can stop reminding him of that. He's heard all of the comparisons to the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He's just not ready to buy into them himself just yet.
"He was a great player. He was a dog," Adeniyi told me. "It's obviously great to be compared to him. But I don't think I've earned that respect yet to be compared to him. That's why I'm trying to make a name for myself out of respect for him. I know what it's like to come out of the MAC."
That chip with which Adeniyi plays has been good for him. It's helped get him to this moment.
Now, he just needs to keep pushing.
The Steelers only brought six outside linebackers to camp this year and Adeniyi is the only rookie. The other five players also were all drafted by the Steelers or spent last season on the team's practice squad.
He knows he's been fighting the odds throughout the process and it's drawing to a conclusion. NFL teams will trim their rosters to 53 by 4 p.m. Saturday. So Thursday's game offers one final exam.
"You want to put as much film out there as you can so that if this organization doesn't want you, another one will," Adeniyi said. "You just have to go into every game and play your hardest. That's what I'm going to do."
THE ESSENTIALS
• When: 7:32 p.m.
• Where: Heinz Field
• TV: KDKA
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh, Steelers Nation Radio
• Satellite: SiriusXM 227, 826 (Internet)
• Forecast: 71, mostly cloudy
• Will call open: 5:30 p.m.
• Gates open: 5:30 p.m.
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
LAST CHANCE
Josh Dobbs will see what very well could be his final action as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday night. Could he be auditioning for his future team?
Dobbs will get the start for the Steelers against the Panthers, according to Mike Tomlin.
And with the Steelers unlikely to keep four quarterbacks, it will be a final chance for Dobbs, a fourth-round draft pick in 2017, to show other teams how much progress he has made.
“I think it’s something you guys like to look at. For me, I just play football,” Dobbs said. “I can’t control a lot of things. I can control how I approach every day, how I practice and how I play games. I just worry about that and let my tape do the talking for me, focus on what I can control and take it one day a time.”
Dobbs has posted a passer rating of 101.9 in two preseason games, completing nearly 68 percent of his throws with three touchdown passes and two interceptions. He also has scrambled seven times for 46 yards.
That's far better than he did as a rookie a year ago when he completed just under 60 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and three interceptions with a passer rating of 68.9. He ran seven times for 34 yards and a touchdown.
But the Steelers selected Mason Rudolph early in the third round of this year's draft and feel he has potential as the future replacement for Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers also have a solid No. 2 QB in place in Landry Jones. And keeping four quarterbacks isn't likely.
"If you look at what happens in the National Football League it has been done," Tomlin said. "In today’s NFL, two are probably kept more times than four so it’s probably less frequent than two at this juncture."
In fact, 16 teams kept two quarterbacks in 2017 -- half the league.
The Carolina Panthers, meanwhile, might only have one.
With longtime backup Derek Anderson now gone, the Panthers have former NFL MVP Cam Newton, with Taylor Heinicke and Garrett Gilbert backing him up. Heinicke, who will start against the Steelers, has thrown one pass in three previous seasons with Minnesota and Houston, while Gilbert is with his fifth team since 2014 and has never thrown an NFL pass.
Both are pocket passers, making them the exact opposite of Newton, one of the best running quarterbacks in the league.
With a good outing against the Panthers, Dobbs could draw the interest of Carolina's coaching staff.
"You have to enjoy the opportunity, keep the offense in good situations, positive plays, and take it one play at a time,” said Dobbs. “That is my mindset going into the game and have fun with it. I want to take advantage of all of the reps. It will be fun to go out and compete. I feel like I have performed well. I know the ultimate decision isn’t in my hands. I just want to go out and play good football and get the win for the team."
THINGS TO WATCH
Carolina's Secondary: Dobbs isn't the only player on the other roster in whom the Panthers might show an interest. If the Steelers are interested in moving Coty Sensabaugh, the Panthers might be a team to watch. Former Steelers starter Ross Cockrell signed with Carolina in free agency but was lost for the season early in camp.
Sensabaugh is no better than No. 5 in the pecking order in Pittsburgh, and as a player with starting experience, he could have trade value. Don't be surprised if the Steelers feature him.
Punting: What was thought to be a done deal with Josh Berry returning for a fourth season as the Steelers' punter has turned into a bit of a fight because Matt Wile has performed well.
Berry is still the odds-on favorite to win the job because he has served as placekicker Chris Boswell's holder the past three seasons, but a bad game could make for a tough cut on Saturday.
Linebackers: Do the Steelers keep eight, nine or even 10 total linebackers? Tyler Matakevich has fallen behind L.J. Fort and Matthew Thomas as a backup inside linebacker. But he has great special teams value.
On the outside, T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree and Anthony Chickillo are givens. That leaves Adeniyi, Keion Adams and Farrington Huguenin fighting for one or two spots.
Many returns: The Steelers will get Ryan Switzer plenty of returns after acquiring him from Oakland earlier this week. That could cause a ripple effect through the receiver room.
Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington and now Switzer seem to be givens. That likely leaves two more spots. Darrius Heyward-Bey would seem to have one thanks to his special teams work. Does the final spot go to Justin Hunter, Marcus Tucker, Trey Griffey, who has come on of late, or Damoun Patterson, who has tailed off after a strong start?
Tucker might not play because of an ankle injury. That isn't going to help his cause.