Steelers Add Depth In All Three Facets
The Steelers are having a wild offseason, to say the least. They made a bunch of splashes at the beginning of free agency and now adding some depth signings that might not be as sexy as the Russell Wilson or Patrick Queen signing, but are much needed. Pittsburgh is trying to fill as many holes as possible before the NFL Draft in April.
Quez Watkins
Needing some depth in the Wide Receiver department, the Steelers went out and got Quez Watkins, the speedy receiver who has spent all four of his NFL seasons in Philadelphia with the Eagles. According to Pro Football Reference, he might have one of the coolest nicknames in football, as he goes by Fast Batman. Nice.
Watkins turns 26 in June and will certainly add to the Steelers speed department as he ran a 4.35 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Combine. He’s played in 49 games in the NFL, catching 98 passes for 1,249 yards. The speedy receiver averages 12.7 yards per reception and has scored six touchdowns. Watkins averaged 15+ yards per reception in his first two seasons in the NFL and will look to get back to that in Pittsburgh.
Kyle Allen
The Steelers always bring four quarterbacks to Training Camp, so now Kyle Allen makes three. The draft or an undrafted free agent will likely provide the fourth. The six-year NFL veteran Allen backed up Josh Allen last season in Buffalo and spent time with the Panthers, Football Team, and Texans before landing in Pittsburgh.
Allen has appeared in 30 games in his career, passing for 4,734 yards and 26 touchdowns to go with 21 interceptions. The 28-year-old Allen saw his most action in the 2019 season with the Panthers where he started 12 games and passed for 3,322 yards with 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, averaging 255.5 yards per game.
Dean Lowry
The Steelers also added some Defensive Line depth in Dean Lowry, the eight-year NFL veteran who spent last season with the Vikings and seven seasons with the Packers. Lowry was a fourth-round pick by the Packers in the 2016 Draft.
In his eight NFL seasons, Lowry has 15.5 sacks to go with 266 tackles with 143 being solo. He also has one forced fumble, and five fumble returns including one for a touchdown, and one interception, along with 23 tackles for loss. Lowry is an experienced veteran too, playing in 120 games in the NFL and starting in 84 of them.
Cordarrelle Patterson
Potentially the most fun signing of the bunch, the Steelers decided to bring in one of the best Kick Returners in NFL history on the same day that the new kickoff rule was approved, and Cordarrelle Patterson will be a valuable gadget for Arthur Smith, and this offense. The 33-year-old who played under Smith last season has a good resume.
He’s been around for 11 years and he’s made it count. Patterson leads active players in Kick Return Touchdowns, Kick and Punt Return Yards, Yards per Kick Return, and Non-Offensive Touchdowns. He’s a four-time All-Pro and a Super Bowl Champion with the Patriots. Patterson was even named to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame’s All-2010 Team.
The Vikings picked Patterson 29th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft and he has spent time in Minnesota, Oakland, New England, Chicago, and most recently Atlanta. He’s played in 170 games and has posted 2,511 rushing yards for 22 touchdowns and 298 receptions for 2,795 yards. He has nine kick return touchdowns. He didn’t get much play last year in Atlanta after Arthur Smith made up the “Joker” position for him, but will hopefully contribute in Pittsburgh.
Steelers Rolling Into Draft
With just a few more depth signings, the Steelers will be ready for the NFL Draft, a huge one for the team. They still don’t have a center on the roster, so you would hope that’s a big focus along with a Wide Receiver, Cornerback, and maybe even a Right tackle if they can find the right one.
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