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90 In 30: Steelers 2024 Training Camp Preview Series — David Perales, La’Mical Perine, George Pickens

By Dave Bryan

Posted on July 10, 2024 at 7:15 am

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 offseason practices concluded in the middle of June. Next up is the team’s annual training camp, which gets underway in the latter part of July at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. Ahead of Steelers training camp, we will preview the team’s offseason roster three players at a time as part of a multi-post series. This Steelers roster preview, which includes outlooks for every player, will be done alphabetically by last name to make it easy to follow. This series figures to exceed 90 players this year as the team can carry 91 players in total during the offseason due to the allowance of one international player designation.

The next set of players we will preview ahead of the Steelers’ 2024 training camp are David Perales, La’Mical Perine, and George Pickens.

OLB David Perales: Signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State last offseason, Perales went on to start the 2023 regular season on the team’s practice squad. Perales bounced on and off the practice squad several times during his rookie season. He ultimately ended the 2023 season on the Steelers’ practice squad and was quickly signed to a Reserve/Future contract in January.

Last year during the preseason, Perales registered four total tackles and a quarterback hit in the 101 defensive snaps he played. He played both outside linebacker positions during the preseason with most of his snaps coming on the right side. He also logged 20 special teams snaps during the three preseason games but failed to register any tackles.

Outlook: With Perales on the Steelers’ offseason roster, he is set to participate in his second training camp with the team. The Steelers have quite a bit of competition for Perales to face this summer with the primary player being OLB Jeremiah Moon. The former Raven has a nice special teams resume that he brings with him to Pittsburgh in addition to regular-season experience on the defensive side of the football.

Perales’ path to a 53-man roster spot this summer is a tough one, especially if the team ultimately keeps just four outside linebackers. To win a roster spot, Perales will need a fantastic training camp and preseason, not only on defense but on special teams as well. In reality, Perales will likely only remain in Pittsburgh past the end of the preseason if he winds up being signed to the practice squad like last year.

RB La’Mical Perine: The Steelers signed Perine, a fourth-round draft pick of the New York Jets in 2020, to their offseason roster in the latter part of May. His signing followed him being released by the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2023, Perine was mainly a member of the Chiefs’ practice squad. However, he was elevated to their Active/Inactive roster several times during the 2023 regular season before ultimately being added to the 53-man roster in late December.

Last season, Perine appeared in several games with the Chiefs but mostly as a special teams player. He registered 77 yards on 22 total carries in addition to three receptions for another 33 yards. He played just 59 offensive snaps for the Chiefs last season.

For his NFL career, Perine has rushed for 340 yards and two touchdowns on 94 carries. He also has 14 career NFL receptions for 96 yards. All told, Perine has played 283 total offensive snaps in the NFL.

Outlook: The Steelers have a very full running back room ahead of training camp getting underway. It includes Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, and Cordarrelle Paterson. Additionally, the Steelers signed Jonathan Ward, another experienced player, to their offseason roster. If that’s not enough, the Steelers also signed rookie undrafted free agent Daijun Edwards out of Georgia earlier in the offseason. This all means that Perine has a tough path this summer when it comes to making the 53-man roster.

Barring several injuries this summer, Perine will more than likely be competing for a spot on the practice squad. While he has logged some special teams snaps in the NFL, Perine has never been a notable contributor in that phase of his game. We’ll likely see Perine get a few snaps in a few preseason games come August but beyond that, his stay in Pittsburgh could end come early September.

WR George Pickens: The 2023 season was Pickens’ second one in the NFL and the former second-round draft pick out of Georgia managed to improve on his first one. He recorded 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns on 106 targets. Additionally, Pickens registered three rushing attempts during the 2023 regular season for 18 yards.

In the Steelers’ lone playoff game last season, Pickens registered five additional receptions for 50 yards with third-stringer Mason Rudolph at quarterback. He also chipped in another 15 yards on one rushing attempt in that playoff loss.

Pickens received deserved criticism in 2023 for his effort on a few plays, one of those being associated with his run-blocking effort, or lack thereof. Additionally, there were several times where you could visibly see that Pickens wasn’t happy with how he was utilized in the passing game.

All told, 2023 was a productive season for Pickens, especially when you consider how dysfunctional the offense was from execution and schematic standpoints.

Outlook: For 2024, Pickens is expected to have his best NFL season to date, especially due to the fact that he should be the primary receiving target on offense and one who can make several receptions down the field to boot. Additionally, the Steelers’ rebuilt quarterback room now includes a veteran in Russell Wilson, who still has more than enough arm strength to hit Pickens deep on occasion.

We are all expecting Pickens’ route running to progress a little bit more in 2024. On top of that, the hope is we will see him used more on slants and digs, both short and deep, now that the team has a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith and a new quarterback in Wilson, or even Justin Fields should he wind up playing a lot.

A solid third NFL season for Pickens in 2024 would set him up for a possible huge contract extension next summer. He has a lot of motivation to be the best that he can be in 2024, and that includes being a dependable run blocker when the play calls for it. Pickens is sure to draw a lot of coverage in 2024, but if the Steelers can run the football effectively, the team’s third-year wide receiver still should be able to tally a healthy number of receptions, yards, and even touchdowns.

Previous Posts In This Series:

Related Items:2024 Training Camp, David Perales, George Pickens, La'Mical Perine

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