When the NFL Draft concludes, hundreds of draft hopefuls must quickly come to the reality that they are undrafted free agents (UDFAs) and have to be ready to field calls from multiple NFL teams that want to sign them to a contract.
This was the case for Pittsburgh Steelers QB Tanner Morgan. He didn’t hear his name called during the 2023 NFL Draft, having his college career take a downward trend after a breakout 2019 season when he set numerous school records, including season records of most passing yards with 3,253, touchdown passes with 30, and passing yards per game with 250.2.
Failing to surpass 2,100 passing yards and 10 passing TDs in the next three seasons, Morgan’s draft stock took a tumble in 2023, causing him to fall out of the draft. Still, several teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, showed interest in bringing Morgan in as a UDFA thanks to his wealth of experience at the college level as well as the glimpses of stellar play he provided a few years earlier, wanting to add him to the roster and see what he can do with an opportunity in the NFL.
However, when the phone started ringing and the 412 area code came up on Morgan’s screen, his mind was made up on where he wanted to go despite fielding calls from other teams after Pittsburgh gave him a call.
“It was the place where I wanted to go,” Morgan told Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. “When they called, I basically accepted the deal and my agents, they were kind of doing the work as soon as the draft ended, and as soon as I talked to Coach [Mike] Sullivan it was a done deal. When other teams called, I just said I was going to be a Steeler.”
When Morgan signed with the Steelers, he looked to be in prime position to compete for the team’s QB3 job behind Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky. However, the team ended up bringing back Mason Rudolph, whom they promised would be firmly entrenched as the third QB on the depth chart, leaving Morgan in a difficult spot to make the roster.
Still, Morgan finds himself in a great QB room with three guys who have a close relationship both on and off the field. He gets to learn under the guidance of QB Coach Mike Sullivan, who has helped Pickett’s transition to the pros. Morgan may not have a path to the 53-man roster without a major injury occurring to someone above him on the depth chart. But the opportunity to claim a practice squad spot is still a possibility as he continues to hone his craft and look for an opportunity to make an NFL roster.
