A face familiar to the Pittsburgh Steelers is about to return to black and gold. According to Bo Marchionte of College2Pro.com, the team will add defensive end Casey Sayles to their offseason roster.
Sayles was signed to a futures deal by the team last year and carried throughout training camp. recording four tackles during the preseason. Here is what we wrote about him following training camp, giving him a C- grade.
“Of the “other” defensive linemen, Sayles was one name who seemed to catch my eye the most, though that doesn’t always perfectly correlate with excellent play. A high motor player whose tough against the run and shows the ability to disengage from blocks. But you’re looking at a limited upside player who doesn’t offer much, or really anything, as a pass rusher. He did run third team LDE in camp, soaking up many more reps than the several of the other “unknowns” at the bottom of the depth chart.”
He spent the last several months as a member of the AAF’s Birmingham Iron, an affiliate of the Steelers, before the league suspended play this past week. For the Iron, Sayles recorded 16 tackles and this sack, shown below.
According to Pro Football Focus, he graded out well among interior linemen.
Undrafted out of Ohio in 2017, he spent time with the Los Angeles Rams before being signed by Pittsburgh. Sayles is the third AAF player signed by the team, all three members of the Iron, joining defensive back Jack Tocho and center J.C. Hassenauer.
