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: Tegray Scales
Position: ILB
Experience: 1 Year
Tegray Scales has spent some part of each of the past three years as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers organization, with 2022 marking his fourth. Originally signed as a college free agent by the Rams in 2018, he spent time later that year on the Colts’ practice squad. He first hooked up with Pittsburgh in 2019.
Scales ended up with Tampa Bay in 2021 after missing Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster out of training camp, but the Steelers called upon him late in that season when they had injuries at the inside linebacker position—which is the same thing that, again, happened in 2021. In this case, he was on the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad, and they had to sign him to their 53-man roster as a result.
When they did, they signed him to a two-year contract, which is standard procedure, but which means that he is under contract for the 2022 season already. He was signed on January 1; at the time, both Devin Bush and Joe Schobert were on the Reserve/COVID-19 List, and Buddy Johnson was out with a foot injury.
Scales ended up dressing for one of the three games (including the postseason) for which he was a member of the 53-man roster, but he only logged four snaps on special teams. That was the week 17 game, which featured Robert Spillane and Marcus Allen starting at inside linebacker, with Ulysees Gilbert III playing a sizeable role.
He did not dress for the regular-season finale, nor for the team’s postseason game, at which point Bush and Schobert had returned from the Reserve/COVID-19 List, but he finished the year as a member of the 53-man roster, replacing Johnson’s spot, as he finished on the Reserve/Injured List.
Scales did play all of three defensive snaps in four games played for the Steelers during the 2020 season. He also played 37 snaps on special teams. He is in a deep group that now features Myles Jack in place of Schobert, but with all of the other inside linebackers—Bush, Spillane, Allen, Gilbert, and Johnson—returning in 2022.
