Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 season is getting underway after the team finished above .500 but failing to make the postseason last year, we turn our attention to the next chapter of Steelers football and everything that entails. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on more specific contexts as we get into the season, reflecting more immediate plusses and minus rather than trends over long periods. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: CB Madre Harper
Stock Value: Sold
Reasoning: Arguably the most notable name on the list of the first players the Steelers have released as they whittle their way down to a 53-man roster is Madre Harper. Initially signed as a Reserve/Future player in January, he made it all the way through training camp before hearing from the Turk.
At 6-2 and 190 pounds, Madre Harper has the look of a good cornerback. Although he went undrafted out of Southern Illinois in 2020, he was initially able to find a home, playing for the New York Giants that year and with the Carolina Panthers a year later.
After spending all of the 2022 season on the Panthers’ practice squad, he signed with the Steelers on January 11 as a Reserve/Future signing with the hope of getting himself back on a 53-man roster. That has not happened following his official release yesterday, but that doesn’t necessarily end his journey.
While it’s generally perceived that players released in a first wave of cuts are ‘easier’ decisions and less desirable, we have seen a number of examples over the years in which the Steelers have brought such players back via the practice squad. Harper could be one such candidate.
That could still happen. He figures to be competing with Chris Wilcox and Luq Barcoo for a spot on the practice squad at this point, though they could add another cornerback from anywhere as long as they are available and willing to sign.
Harper had a decent camp and a solid preseason, overall, though he had a missed tackle in the first week. Pro Football Focus charged him with allowing one catch on three targets for 10 yards with one pass defensed. He also finished with four tackles.
But his playing time dwindled. He played 39 snaps in the first game and then just 15 in the next two, including eight snaps on Thursday night. He was not tested in coverage in the second or third preseason games. Perhaps the decline in playing time was the writing on the wall.
But there is still time before the 53-man roster is set and the practice squad begins to take shape. He could still wind up back here, if not right away, then perhaps at some point during the season. He wouldn’t have been kept around for the entire offseason if they didn’t like something about him.
