The Pittsburgh Steelers are quickly filling out their 90-man roster. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the team is signing XFL CB Luq Barcoo of the San Antonio Brahmas. Barcoo was not in the Steelers’ or any other NFL minicamp but still drew interest and received multiple contract offers.
The Brahmas’ head coach is Hines Ward, a connection that certainly doesn’t hurt when a player is choosing among multiple NFL teams.
Out of San Diego State, Barcoo weighed in at 6010, 175 pounds at his 2020 Pro Day. He initially signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and has bounced around ever since, playing for the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, and New York Jets before ending up in the XFL.
He’s appeared in three NFL games, all with Jacksonville his rookie year, and logged 152 defensive snaps. He made 10 tackles and had one pass deflection. According to PFF, most of his snaps came as an outside corner, playing only six in the slot.
He made the 2023 All-XFL team after recording 31 tackles with a sack and an interception.
According to advanced XFL stats, Barcoo had the second-most snaps in press coverage this year, 145 or 39% of his total, while San Antonio ran the most-single high (34% Cover 1, 28% Cover 3) of any team this season.
Barcoo was a productive player in college, picking off nine passes in 2019 for the Aztecs. He’s now teammates with another San Diego State ballhawk in Damontae Kazee, though the two were never teammates there.
Pittsburgh has added to its cornerback room over the last several weeks with the additions of draft picks Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. along with veteran slot corner Chandon Sullivan.
With the official announcement of rookie RB Alfonzo Graham signing along with Barcoo’s reported deal, the Steelers now have 87 players on their roster, giving them three open spots left.
