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 the fifth consecutive season in which they failed to win a postseason game—a new record for the franchise since the merger. Yet again, they find themselves undergoing the exit meeting process earlier than anticipated, which means so are we.
The Steelers did arguably perform at or above expectations this year by going 9-7-1 and making the postseason at all, a reflection of just how much talent they lost during the offseason, from the majority of the offensive line to Mike Hilton, Bud Dupree, Steven Nelson, and Vince Williams—not to mention Stephon Tuitt, essentially.
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 2021 season.
Player: Daniel Archibong
Position: DE
Experience: 0 Years
A Pennsylvania native, Daniel Archibong spent five years at Temple before declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft. He was originally signed as a college free agent by the Chicago Bears, but signed to the Steelers’ practice squad a day after he was waived with the final roster cuts, officially signing on September 1.
He spent the entire season on the Steelers’ practice squad, and was signed to a Reserve/Future contract after the team’s season ended, meaning that he remains under contract for the 2022 season. In between, though, he did get some opportunities.
Archibong dressed for two games in all, in Weeks 11 and 12, due to injuries along the defensive line at that time. Carlos Davis was out at that time, and Isaiahh Loudermilk missed the first game, as well. Archibong dressed as the number five lineman, behind Cameron Heyward, Chris Wormley, Isaiah Buggs, and Henry Mondeaux. Loudermilk returned the following week, but Buggs was then out.
All told, he would end up playing a total of 13 snaps on defense between the two games, and another six snaps on special teams, so obviously not much to go off of. But they did get a full year’s worth of a look at him in practice.
In all likelihood, Archibong is looking to compete for another season on the practice squad. Minus Buggs, Pittsburgh returns its full complement of defensive linemen, including Tyson Alualu, and likely Stephon Tuitt as well—even Khalil Davis, who was on the practice squad with Archibong for part of the 2021 season.
