The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Why isn’t TE Zach Gentry on the Steelers’ practice squad?
While Zach Gentry’s status for the 53-man roster was never considered to be set in stone, especially after the Steelers drafted Darnell Washington in the third round, there was still the popular belief that he would make the team.
Yet not only was he released, he was not even re-signed to the practice squad. Instead, the Steelers signed another tight end for that purpose. Rodney Williams has been with the team since last season, on the practice squad, and now he’s back.
And Gentry is…currently nowhere in the NFL. The first question we have to ask is obvious: did the Steelers offer Gentry a spot on the practice squad that he turned down? If they did not, why didn’t they? Was it about what they felt he could deliver, or a matter of respect, trusting that he would find another opportunity elsewhere?
A fifth-year veteran, Gentry spent every second of his rookie contract on the 53-man roster, barring a stretch on the Reserve/Injured List late in the 2020 season. He logged over 1000 snaps between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, functioning primarily as a blocker.
Though the expectation is that his functions will be duplicated and surpassed by the rookie Washington, there were still multiple reasons to believe that Gentry could stick on the roster. One was the fact that Washington may not be ready for the role on a full-time basis right away. Another was the hope of further distancing Pat Freiermuth from blocking responsibilities, even in two-tight-end sets.
Yet another reason, and perhaps the most compelling, was the fact that the Steelers moved on from FB Derek Watt with the expectation that second-year Connor Heyward would take on a more versatile role that subsumes the limited fullback responsibilities within the offense. Even with the addition of Washington, keeping Gentry would have left the Steelers with the same number of fullbacks and tight ends that they are used to carrying.
As I was reminded in the comments section, yet another distinct possibility is the fact that he may be injured. While he participated in the final preseason game, he was reportedly seen afterward sporting a walking boot, though head coach Mike Tomlin may no indications that it was serious. Still, it could be that he is still recovering from a foot injury before signing with a team.
That is in addition to an extra tight end on the practice squad, which in this case is Williams again. So did they just like what Williams could offer there more? Did Gentry want to seek other options? Might he still wind up back with the team, perhaps after the first week of the season, which would prevent his contract from becoming guaranteed?
