The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a hole at slot corner throughout the entire offseason. They chose not to bring back many of the players they used in the position in 2023, which has caused it to become a worrisome situation. Over the last few weeks, Pittsburgh has done a great job addressing this problem by signing Cam Sutton, as well as Grayland Arnold. Sutton has more experience, but Arnold provides valuable depth. That is important to Pittsburgh, especially after all the late season injuries they had on defense in 2023.
Yahoo Sports
Steelers signed former Texans DB Grayland Arnold on June 4, 2024.
Arnold has had a tumultuous career in the NFL. He was undrafted in 2020 and eventually signed with the Philadelphia Eagles where he bounced between the active roster and the practice squad. He was released at the beginning of the 2021 season and signed with the Houston Texans. Arnold has been fighting an uphill battle to stay on an active roster ever since. During a stretch in 2023 when he was on Houston's practice squad, he reportedly agreed to sign with the Steelers according to Chris Adamski.
"After his first Organized Team Activities session with the Steelers on Wednesday, Arnold said he had verbally agreed to join the Steelers while he was briefly on the market during November of last season, but the Texans hurriedly worked to retain him to assist with their secondary depth."
When a player is on another team's practice squad, other organizations are allowed to sign them. There are a few stipulations, as a player can't be signed from one practice squad to another. If Pittsburgh had reached out to Arnold, it was for him to join the active roster. The other two reasons that could prevent a player from being signed from a practice squad is if he is protected by his team. Each team can protect four players a week, and a player can't join a team's next opponent if the game is less than a week away.
philadelphiaEagles.com
Former Eagles DB Grayland Arnold during a practice with the Eagles.
With the time frame being November, it can be assumed that Pittsburgh reached out to Arnold after some of the late-season injuries to the secondary. Keanu Neal was placed on injured reserve in November and he was one of the players Pittsburgh consistently used to defend the slot.
Arnold has started just one game during his four-year career and has played in just 26 total. He has recorded 33 tackles, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup. Arnold has played over 100 snaps at slot corner during his career, and he should provide good competition for Sutton and the rest of the group competing for the starting job.
Steelers Assistant General Manager Andy Weidl has a connection to Arnold, and is likely the reason he was brought to Pittsburgh. Weidl was a driving force behind Philadelphia signing Arnold as an undrafted free agent.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers Assistant General Manager Andy Weidl speaks to the media.
Steelers' Arnold Is Ready To Contribute In Any Way
It cannot be overstated how difficult it is to make an NFL roster as an undrafted free agent. A player has such a short amount of time to make a good impression. He has to take coaching well, be versatile, and be willing to contribute on special teams. Arnold spoke to Adamski on Wednesday and shared that is how he has built his career.
"I am here for whatever coach might need me to do – wherever. That’s how I built my career, just being a guy who is coachable and willing to do any job, whether it's special teams or inside or outside. Whatever the coach needs and whatever the team needs to win, that’s what I like to do."
Arnold was likely brought in as a camp body, someone to provide a sense of competition during practices. This is probably Arnold's best chance of his career to be able to make a roster and make an impact, as the Steelers have a lot of question marks at slot corner.
What do you think about Pittsburgh almost landing Arnold in 2023? Let us know in the comments below!
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