For every Mean Joe Greene or Troy Polamalu, you also have a Devin Bush or a Chase Claypool. This tends to be the case with every NFL franchise as player development and roster construction aren’t a sure thing. Some players who look like studs in college or on other teams may flourish with your team, or fizzle out altogether. Fortunately for the Pittsburgh Steelers, they have had a lot of hits over the years, helping them be one of the most stable franchises in the league.
However, they aren’t without their fair share of misses, having players completely flame out shortly after arriving to the team via the draft or free agency. We’re going to list five notable names that had short, bad careers in Pittsburgh from the last several years, leaving out names that may have played a long time but were bad (i.e. Jarvis Jones, Devin Bush, etc.) as well as players who were injury-prone and had their careers cut short (i.e. Senquez Golson, Ladarius Green, etc). Feel free to rank these names down below as they are listed in no specific order. Ready to relive the misery, ladies and gents? Let’s begin.
C Kendrick Green (2021-22)
The Steelers drafted Kendrick Green in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft with the hope of having him becoming their starting center after Maurkice Pouncey retired. The experiment backfired horribly as Green was not ready for the NFL game, lacking the mental acumen as well as the experience and technique to hold up as a quality starter at the pivot. He started 15 games as a rookie and played poorly for most of the season, looking lost on the field while ending up on the ground a lot due to poor balance. He ended up being a gameday inactive for the entire 2022 season and was on the roster bubble heading into training camp this summer.
Outside of a brief stint at fullback training camp, Green become a player that fans loved to hate. He likely would have been cut if it weren’t for a trade to the Houston Texans at the end of the preseason, the Steelers shipping off their former Day Two pick for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
WR Gunner Olszewski (2022-Present)
Probably one question many Steelers fans have had since last week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens is how is Gunner Olszewski still on this team? Olszewski was signed to be this team’s kick/punt returner after Ray-Ray McCloud signed with the San Francisco 49ers, the Steelers hoping he would reclaim his All-Pro form back 2020 with the Patriots. Olszewski has arguably regressed since arriving to Pittsburgh, having lost his return job last season to WR Steven Sims, who left for the Texans this offseason and got benched for RB Anthony McFarland Jr. on kick returns and WR Calvin Austin III on punt returns this season. Olszewski got a chance to return punts last week against the Ravens with Austin dinged up but had a crucial fumble late in the game that Baltimore nearly returned for a touchdown.
Olszewski has been a fumbling machine since arriving in Pittsburgh, having critical turnovers in crucial moments of games. He no longer works on kick and punt returns and was a game day inactive prior to injuries hitting Pittsburgh. It’s strange that Pittsburgh remains loyal to Olszewski despite having no purpose on the roster. His role on the team could be easily replaceable with a better returner/receiver on another team’s practice squad.
K Josh Scobee (2015)
The Josh Scobee experiment failed miserably in Pittsburgh after the Steelers traded a sixth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft to acquire him from Jacksoville to replace Shaun Suisham and Garrett Hartley, who suffered season-ending injuries. Scobee had a career field goal percentage of 80.8, being the Jaguars’ reliable place kicker for over a decade. However, he suffered from major inconsistencies in Pittsburgh. He made six-of-10 field goal attempts (60%) for the Steelers with a long of 45 yards while also missing an extra point.
The nail in the coffin for Scobee and his Steelers career came in Week Four against the Baltimore Ravens. Scobee missed two field goals—a 49-yarder and later a 41-yarder—in the closing minutes, causing Pittsburgh to fall to Baltimore 23-20 in overtime. Scobee was released by Pittsburgh two days later, the Steelers signing K Chris Boswell. The rest is history.
OT Mike Adams (2012-2015)
The Steelers drafted OT Mike Adams in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, hoping to pair him with first-round pick David DeCastro to overhaul an offensive line in need of a makeover. He started six games while appearing in 10 as a rookie. He entered the 2013 season as the starting left tackle but was benched early due to his poor play. He ended up starting 10 games in 2013 and went into 2014 as the backup, getting four starts throughout his third season with mixed results.
Factor in a lack of development during his first three years in the league as well as missing the entire 2015 season after undergoing a back operation prior to the start of training camp, and Adams never become the player that the Steelers hoped he could be when they drafted him. He was released in 2016 with a failed physical, latching onto the Chicago Bears. He played in 12 games with one start, but would suffer a back injury, landing on IR and ending his tenure in the league.
Limas Sweed (2008-2010)
Sweed starred at the University of Texas, being considered one of the best wide receiver prospects in the country after going over 800 receiving yards with 12 touchdowns as a junior. He had wrist surgery his senior season, cutting his final season short and causing him to fall in the draft, allowing Pittsburgh to select him 53rd overall in 2008. He had trouble initially adjusting to the speed of the NFL game and catching the football, causing him to see limited playing time as a rookie. He played in 11 games with no starts and caught six passes on 10 targets for 64 yards.
The drop issues followed Sweed into his second season, causing him to drop literally down the depth chart. He ended up injuring his Achilles early in minicamp in 2010, causing him to undergo season-ending surgery. Sweed would get waived/injured by Pittsburgh in 2011 during training camp and later released in September, ending his once-promising tenure with the team and his time in the NFL altogether.
