The Pittsburgh Steelers are back in the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex earlier than they had anticipated, having been ousted from the postseason in the opening round, which unfortunately marks a slight improvement from the past two seasons, during which they did not even qualify for the playoffs altogether. They have now done four seasons without securing a victory beyond regular season play.
Yet again, they find themselves undergoing the exit meeting process earlier than anticipated, which means so are we.
They did manage to go 12-4 during the regular season, and secured their first AFC North title since 2017, posting a new franchise record by opening the season with 11 consecutive wins, but of course it all fell apart after that. Their only victory after that required a 17-point comeback.
While we might not know all the details about what goes on between head coach Mike Tomlin and his players during these exit meetings, we do know how we would conduct those meetings if they were let up to us. So here are the Depot’s exit meetings for the Steelers’ roster following the 2020 season.
Player: Corliss Waitman
Position: P/K
Experience: 0 Years
The Steelers originally signed punter/kicker Corliss Waitman as a rookie college free agent last year immediately following the 2020 NFL Draft, one of 10 undrafted free agents with whom they initially signed in addition to their six draft choices.
Of those 10, four actually made it at least into the regular season with the Steelers, primarily on the practice squad. Three of them actually remain with the team, with cornerback James Pierre having spent the entire year on the 53-man roster. Defensive end Calvin Taylor is the other one in addition to Waitman.
But under different circumstances, that probably wouldn’t be the case. With expanded practice squads and the Covid-19 situation, many teams carried specialists. Waitman’s ability to both punt and kick made himself particularly valuable, though when they did need a kicker they signed Matthew Wright.
The good news for him is that the Steelers are obviously less than thrilled with their punting situation. They did release Jordan Berry last year, bringing in Dustin Colquitt, and that certainly didn’t seem to be a move that was purely about the potential upgrade.
In other words, it’s likely that the punting role will legitimately be up for grabs in 2021, and, well, the first part of winning a job is being available to compete for one. He wasn’t necessarily a great college player, but there’s a reason he made it from the draft all the way until now. They see something in him that they like well enough. That’s a good place to start.
