Alejandro Villanueva was a Philadelphia Eagle before he became a Pittsburgh Steeler. Had the Eagles called him just a couple minutes earlier, he would’ve remained an Eagle and perhaps never been a Steeler.
Villanueva gave a rare interview on the New Heights podcast that premiered Friday, reuniting with former Eagles teammate Jason Kelce along with co-host Travis Kelce, to talk about his NFL career and post-playing days (fun fact: Villanueva is now a Florida fruit farmer). He detailed the bumpy start to his career, bouncing from team to team and event to event.
The Eagles cut Villanueva on Aug. 23, 2014, following the team’s third preseason game. A move he told the show he expected considering how raw he was coming to the team, bulking up to play defensive end and trying to learn the nuances of the game. Days later, the Steelers were about to sign Villanueva to their practice squad following a workout as a defensive end before converting him to tackle. As he arrived at the Steelers’ facility to sign his contract, Philadelphia called him back.
“I was in the Steelers’ office about to sign a practice squad deal,” Villanueva told the show. “And they called me from the Eagles. I was like, ‘Dude, I can’t say no. I already drove to Pittsburgh.’ I feel bad telling this man in front of me, ‘I’m not gonna sign with you. I’m gonna go back to Philly.'”
And so he declined Philadelphia’s last-minute overture and signed with Pittsburgh. Villanueva said after impressing as a defensive lineman in a preseason game as an Eagle against the Steelers, Pittsburgh brought him in as a defensive lineman. But legendary DL Coach John Mitchell realized Villanueva wasn’t going to stick there. OL Coach Mike Munchak evaluated him and thought there was enough there to try him at offensive tackle.
“[Munchak said], ‘I can use him.’ The next day, I came to practice, had a number and a locker and I was on practice squad,” Villanueva said.
The rest is history. Pittsburgh transitioned Villanueva from defensive end to offensive tackle, bulking him up from about 300 pounds to nearly 350 by the end of his first year. Villanueva replaced an injured Kelvin Beachum in Week 6 and became the team’s starting left tackle for the remainder of his Steelers career. He made 90 starts, earning a long-term contract, and was a solid player on Ben Roethlisberger’s blindside. His NFL career wrapped up in 2021 after a one-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens.
Had the Eagles called just a little bit earlier – and they had several days to bring him back before Pittsburgh inked him – or had Villanueva turned Pittsburgh down right there on the spot, who knows what would’ve happened. He probably never has a Steelers career. And unless the Eagles were prepared to make him an offensive tackle, he would’ve stayed at defensive end and probably never had a lucrative NFL career. It’s one of many chapters of Villanueva’s movie-like life and career and it was great hearing him open up about his playing days.
Catch the whole conversation below.
