A new series to get you ready for training camp. While much of our attention and all the headlines will be on the big-name players — QB Kenny Pickett’s jump, how OT Broderick Jones looks, and new defensive starters like CB Patrick Peterson — the summer is a great time to uncover that training camp darling. Just in the way RB Jaylen Warren was that guy last season, we’re highlighting potential sleepers who could be pushing for a roster spot come final cutdowns.
CAMP SLEEPER: WR Dan Chisena
Before Miles Boykin re-signed with Pittsburgh right before the draft, Chisena was shaping up to be a prime Steelers sleeper. A track star at Penn State who didn’t play much football, he’s found his NFL niche by being a quality special teamer, gunner and coverage player, something Boykin became for Pittsburgh last season.
With Boykin back, Chisena’s path to the 53 becomes much, much tougher. But it doesn’t mean Chisena can’t impress. Don’t expect much from him as a receiver this summer, though his straight-line speed (a 4.32 40) makes him ripe for the rare big play in camp (especially before the pads come on) and he could make plays inside stadiums, which get him noticed. It won’t be anything new for him.
Across 2020 and 2021, Chisena played 472 special teams snaps, racking up nine total tackles (eight solo, one assisted). He hardly saw the field in 2022, appearing in just two games and logging only 24 snaps, and he signed a Futures deal with the Steelers in the winter.
Chisena is sort of like this year’s Gunner Olszewski. A wide receiver on the depth chart but with a very limited resume there. He’s played only 11 NFL offensive snaps and has caught three passes across his college and NFL careers, all coming in 2019 at Penn State. His calling card comes on fourth down and no downs. Punts and kickoffs, that’s his area of expertise.
Grabbing a spot on the 53-man roster will be tough. But what if Boykin gets hurt? What other special teams-focused player is there at wide receiver? Olszewski is a return man. Ditto Calvin Austin. And Pittsburgh usually keeps one receiver for coverage duties be it Boykin last year, Darrius Heyward-Bey a few more years ago, Arnaz Battle a decade ago, and Sean Morey in the mid-2000s.
Even if the 53 is out of the question, he could still land on the practice squad as insurance. The interesting thing about special teams is that it isn’t always position-specific. A wide receiver isn’t always replaced by a wide receiver. A linebacker isn’t always replaced by a linebacker. There are some general size/frame qualifications needed for certain spots, your “guards” on the punt coverage team are generally bigger and sturdier players like linebackers or safeties but there’s more flexibility here than on offense or defense. Meaning, one injury to a backup on their side of the ball but a starter on special teams could open an opportunity for Chisena. And with his 4.3 speed, you better believe he can run with it.
