As the end of an era has finally settled upon the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise, another era has begun with the selection of Kenny Pickett. Tasked with eventually replacing Ben Roethlisberger, Pickett has an uphill climb ahead of him – but thankfully he has this incoming class of draft picks and undrafted free agents to help ease some of that pressure.
With the offense finally taking shape again and the defense looking quite strong, the Steelers are going to try and fight their way back into the conversation for the AFC North. With the Bengals looking to get back to the Super Bowl, the Ravens trying to translate their run-heavy offense into greater success, and the Browns going all-in on Deshaun Watson, the Steelers need quite a few things to go their way this offseason
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Steelers Undrafted Free Agent To Make 2022 NFL Roster
Mataeo Durant
RB – Duke
With plenty of teams having at least that one player that greatly stands out when combing through the undrafted free agent class, the Steelers look to be one of those rare teams that do not.
Along with Oklahoma State’s Jaylen Warren, the Steelers brought in Duke’s Mataeo Durant to provide some RB depth, an area that looks to be devoid of any sticking talent behind Najee Harris and Benny Snell. With teams transitioning more to utilizing committees in their backfields, Durant could likely enter the 2022 NFL season as the team’s RB3.
During his time as a Blue Devil, Durant embodied the one-cut style for a running back, relying on his athleticism and vision to make defenders miss on his way to over 3,000 total yards and 22 total TDs.
Harris is the only locked-in option on this team at running back, and with Snell Jr., Anthony McFarland Jr., and Trey Edmunds all fighting for a spot in the backfield, throwing another option like Durant into the mix gives him great odds.
Snell has shown that he can take on a middling role in a pinch if Harris misses time, but he truly does not offer a lot that justifies him having anything more than a backup role at this point. Both McFarland and Edmunds have failed to chalk up any sort of NFL relevancy and, provided they continue to produce at a below-average clip during the offseason workouts, then they both will likely be looking for a different team to latch onto.
Durant is not a major needle mover, but he brings a much-needed element of athleticism to the backfield that only Harris currently has. But Durant’s 4.38 speed is something that not even Harris can compete with him on, giving him a leg up during camp. His experience on special teams will help him stand out as well, even if not in a returning aspect.
The Steelers did not shell out a franchise-record $15K signing bonus just for Durant to be a camp body, so expecting him to leave camp as a member of this team’s final roster is a strong bet – while not expected to have a large role right out of the gate, he could earn some playing time as the season progresses.
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