Steelers' Undrafted Free Agent David Perales Has Lost Weight To "Make A Bigger Role For Myself"

While the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to find starting-caliber upgrades anywhere they can, they are also looking to add depth to the team and find quality backups that can come in and play when needed. They learned first-hand from the 2023 season that a couple of starters at a position is not enough. The safety and inside linebacker room got decimated at the end of the season, which forced the team to have waiver claims and last-minute additions start for the defense. Any kind of depth would help the Steelers. 

The Steelers have three starting-caliber edge rushers, but as the team saw in 2023, that may not be enough. Part of the camp competition will be for that fourth edge rusher. As of now, Jeremiah Moon is the favorite to win that spot after having a productive season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. However, it wouldn't be a competition without some guys ready to take the spot above him. 

David Perales has been on and off the Steelers' practice squad since 2023 when he was an undrafted free agent rookie. In an attempt to be more athletic and make it onto the 53-man roster, he has lost a lot of weight, as he told Alec Nolan of Action 30 News in Fresno. 

"I was 255 pounds last year, and now I'm like 240. I lost 15 pounds, and I'm trying to make a bigger role for myself on special teams for sure."

Sometimes, losing a little bit of weight is exactly what needs to happen to help a player gain that extra step. Many edge rushers in the modern NFL have made their impact with speed and agility, as opposed to strength and power. Losing 15 pounds could help Perales get that extra step and give himself a better chance to make the roster or practice squad. Even if he doesn't make it on the Steelers' stacked edge group, there could be another team that would claim him off waivers. 

Steelers Utilize Speed And Agility In The EDGE Room

TJ Watt is known for being explosive off the snap, as well as being flexible enough to bend under the block of the offensive tackle. That kind of game is part of the reason why he is always in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year. He normally doesn't power through the tackle, but with his game, he doesn't need to do that to completely destroy an opponent's gameplan. 

Nick Herbig would most likely be a starter on almost any other team. Even though he never started for the Steelers in 2023, he still made his snaps count. He had three sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a recovered block punt in his rookie year. He also recovered a blocked field goal in the playoffs. He should only get better from there. 

The modern way of playing edge rusher clearly works for the Steelers, and Perales can hopefully be more like his teammates now, especially with the weight loss. He still has a lot to work on if he wants to make it to the 53-man roster, but this is a good start for him. He will have some great competition throughout training camp and preseason for that final spot.

Perales also mentioned that he wants to be a good special teamer for the Steelers. If he can perform well on special teams, that could help give him that boost over guys like Moon in camp competition. Speed is also a good thing in that phase as well, and Perales should be better in that aspect too. He will have to do everything asked of him to make the team, but with the fact that he lost weight, he should have a slightly better chance of performing well and making the team.

What do you think about David Perales losing weight? Will he make the team in 2024? Let us know in the comments.

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