The XFL came and went before the draft. The USFL’s season is now over with weeks left until training camp. Between now and then—or whenever the USFL’s players are permitted to vacate their contracts—many will be signing on with NFL teams.
Will wide receiver Deon Cain be one of them? He just helped the Birmingham Stallions collect their second trophy in as many years, and really was the star of the show. The former Pittsburgh Steeler was named the game’s MVP after recording three touchdowns on four receptions for 70 yards.
In spite of his big finish, however, he was not immediately thinking about a return to the NFL, a question that he was asked during his post-game press conference as the game’s MVP. Instead, he just said that he wanted to “just keep going, put my best foot forward”. He talked about how he was blessed to have the opportunity to showcase his skills in the USFL and to have the trust of his teammates.
He also talked about team goals and how he talked to his coaches about building the right plan to help the team win, rather than focusing on what would make him look best, though he also credited the for helping him “shine the best way I could”.
Cain was not a big contributor to the Stallions’ regular-season run, putting up only 150 yards with two touchdowns, finishing fourth on the team. Tight end Jace Sternberger, once part of the Steelers’ practice squad, led Birmingham with seven touchdowns.
Still, Cain probably showed enough to earn at least another tryout with an NFL team, if not a contract to a 90-man roster. Over the past two years, he has spent some time on practice squads with the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles, but he has not been on a regular-season roster since his last stop with the Steelers in 2020.
The Steelers first signed Cain off the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad in the second half of the 2019 season. He played in six games, catching five passes on six targets for 72 yards. I believe there was a defensive pass interference or two drawn as well.
That minuscule sampling was enough to whet the appetite of Steelers fans, naturally enamored with his combination of size and speed, hoping to unlock the potential within him. It never quite worked out that way, of course, Pittsburgh drafting Chase Claypool in 2020 being one of a number of factors.
While I would guess that he will get an invite to an NFL camp sooner or later, I don’t necessarily envision a reunion with the Steelers. They already have enough to sort out at the back end of the wide receiver depth chart but have their top four more or less established. And Cain isn’t going to be a big special teams contributor.
