To the outside world, it’s a mere footnote. On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers waived/injured UDFA offensive tackle Micah Hatchie, replacing him with center/guard Collin Rahrig.
But for players inside the team facilities, it’s a reminder of how cold the league is. Teammates yesterday only to see that tie severed the next day.
Guard Chris Hubbard told Pennlive.com’s Jacob Klinger how he and Hatchie ate lunch together on Tuesday. They haven’t seen each other since, never getting an indication his time with the Steelers was over. Fellow rookie Miles Dieffenbach told Klinger he didn’t know where his now former teammate went.
To be clear, the waived/injured designation denotes he was suffering from at the least, a relatively serious injury. He’s since reverted to the team’s injured reserve list, either spending the entire season there or more likely, being waived with an injury settlement at some point. The settlement is typically a pay equivalent to the time it would take to rehab the injury.
Still, it’s an early example of how swift the league moves. Hatchie’s name has been scrubbed from the roster, replaced with the newly signed Rahrig.
A foreshadowing of what will likely happen to numerous players over the course of training camp. In pads one day. A free agent the next. The harsh reality of the NFL.
