With Week 1 of the third iteration of the XFL underway, the Pittsburgh Steelers will most likely be keeping an eye out for underrated players and coaches to add to the team. After the XFL ends, the USFL will begin their second season, as the first spring league in a long time to have another season. The Steelers will be looking for promising players and veterans with something left in the tank that are trying to make a comeback. They have some history with signing spring league players, with some less-than-stellar results.
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Who have the Steelers signed from the spring before?
Pittsburgh's most notable spring league acquisition was Tommy Maddox, who acted as the bridge between first-round quarterbacks in Kordell Stewart and Ben Roethlisberger. He was the MVP of the 2001 XFL season, as well as leading his team to the lone XFL Championship. He had a 16-17-1 record overall with the Steelers, with a pair of playoff games in 2002. Once Maddox got injured and Roethlisberger came in, he didn't have much of a chance to start again, outside of an injury to Roethlisberger.
Kameron Kelly was signed as depth for a weak safety group in 2019. Kelly moved into the starting role in Week 1 when Sean Davis got injured in the preseason, and he was part of a very poor defensive performance against the New England Patriots. Davis got hurt again in Week 2, which prompted the Steelers to trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick started the rest of the season, keeping Kelly in a backup/dime DB role. Kelly was cut before season's end after threat charges popped up. Kelly has gone from AAF to NFL to CFL and is now in the new XFL.
After losing a camp battle to Kameron Canaday, long snapper/linebacker hybrid Christian Kuntz won the long snapper battle in his second season with Pittsburgh. Being a linebacker definitely helps, as it adds an extra tackler on the punt team, with long snappers normally not being able to tackle very well. He has been a very consistent and quality snapper for the Steelers and could stay on the team for a long time.
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Who are the Steelers looking at this spring?
The Steelers could use some veteran edge depth, and one that won't want out immediately like Melvin Ingram. There's still a former great edge rusher that the Steelers could sign: Vic Beasley of the Vegas Vipers. He had a handful of great seasons with the Atlanta Falcons before being late to camp with the Tennessee Titans, and eventually being cut before finishing his first season in Tennessee. If he can revive his career in the XFL, Beasley could sign as a rotational piece behind TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith, as opposed to the Steelers burning a draft pick on edge depth.
Pittsburgh's USFL team could help provide some depth for the Steelers, with Reuben Foster on their roster. It's no secret that the Steelers are desperate for some semblance of quality and consistency from the linebacker position, and the former first-rounder could help provide that, as long as he shows why he was a high pick to begin with. Foster was waived from the San Francisco 49ers following two seasons full of injuries and off-field issues, including a domestic violence charge. He was picked up by Washington, where he tore his ACL and never played another game. If Foster can prove his worst moments are behind him and he's willing to focus on football, he can be a much-needed asset for a weak linebacker core in Pittsburgh.
What do you think about the spring leagues, what they have provided, and what they can provide? Let us know down in the comments.
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