Pittsburgh Steelers reserve guard Bryant Browning is one well-traveled player.
The Steelers are the sixth team that Browning has been a member of since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and during that time he’s managed to play all of one regular season snap. That snap came as a member of the Carolina Panthers in their Week 14 game against the Atlanta Falcons during the 2011 season.
This year, if Browning, who was originally signed by the St. Louis Rams out of Ohio State, fails to make the Steelers 53 man roster, his traveling will likely come to an end as it relates to the NFL.
While he’s only played that one snap and been active for just that one game, Browning is unfortunately out of practice squad eligibility after bouncing on and off practice squads around the league the last three seasons.
After starting 13 games mostly at right tackle in 2008 at Ohio State, Browning kicked inside to right guard for his final two seasons. So far with the Steelers during training camp, he’s mostly been relegated to second-team work at right guard and that’s most likely where he will see action Saturday night in the team’s preseason opener against the New York Giants.
While the odds are current against Browning making the Steelers final roster this year because of the numbers, he’s a guy worth rooting for to succeed.
When he was 12, Browning lost his mother suddenly due to post surgery complications. One week later, he lost his aunt to cancer and as a result of that he and his brother moved in with their grandmother.
Despite having a solid career at Ohio State, the former team captain failed to receive an invitation to the 2011 NFL Combine. In addition, he was limited to participating in non-running drills at his Pro Day due to an injured hamstring.
Unfortunately for Browning, more bad luck was ahead for him. Because of the 2011 lockout, he was unable to latch on with a team immediately after going undrafted. When he was finally signed by the Rams in late July after a new CBA was agreed upon, he was quickly released one week into training camp.
The Panthers luckily claimed Browning off of waivers from the Rams, however, and he spent most of the 2011 season on their practice squad until finally being promoted to their 53 man roster that December. A wrist injury suffered a few weeks later in practice, however, ended his season.
In 2012, Browning spent time on the practice squads of both the Panthers and the Cleveland Browns. He went to training camp with Giants in 2013 and after a little more than a month’s stay on the Buffalo Bills practice squad that ended last November, the Steelers signed him to their own practice squad and that’s where he closed out the season.
The Steelers saw enough in Browning late last year to warrant re-signing him during the offseason and that leads us to where he currently is right now which is fighting one last time in training camp for a roster spot.
