In an NFL business that treats
fringe roster spots like Airbnb rentals, Pittsburgh
Steelers left tackle Al Villanueva heard
comforting words from coach Mike Tomlin back in 2014.
No matter what happens, we're giving you one year of football
stability.
Villanueva flipped that year on the
practice squad into a starting role when Kelvin
Beachum got hurt, then into a $24 million contract in the
summer of 2017.
The "next man up"
mantra permeates every NFL locker room, but the Steelers (7-4-1) believe their
faith in every player minimizes the damage from big injuries. The latest
subject cases are fifth-round rookie Jaylen
Samuels and eight-year veteran Stevan Ridley,
who will split time at running back while James Conner nurses
an ankle sprain.
Guard David
DeCastro expects them to succeed, mainly because he has seen
this before.
The Steelers churn their roster
like everyone else, but those who survive roster cuts over the years have noticed
a trend -- once in the door, the chances of sticking rise.
This season, Pittsburgh has
dedicated 2,022 offensive or defensive snaps to five former practice-squad
players: Villanueva, slot corner Mike Hilton,
linebacker L.J. Fort,
right tackle Matt Feiler and
tight end Xavier
Grimble.
Samuels is trying to launch a
career and Ridley, a former 1,000-yard rusher in New England, is trying to
re-ignite one. But the expectation for backups in Pittsburgh runs deeper than
that.
Just ask Fort, who has been
signed and released by six teams since entering the league in 2012 but has
found a home as a substitution-package linebacker on passing downs.
That was the reality for Feiler,
an undrafted free agent out of the football factory that is Bloomsburg
University of Pennsylvania. But he caught the Steelers' attention and slowly
worked his way into backup-tackle status. Now, Feiler's set to start his
seventh game for right tackle Marcus
Gilbert, and the offensive line has remained strong.
Behind a proficient offensive
line, a top-shelf quarterback and elite playmakers, running backs can have
success.
DeCastro knows the Steelers'
culture has something to do with that, too.
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