As we’ve done in previous years, we’re taking a look at those Pittsburgh Steelers under futures contracts for the 2024 offseason. The ones who spent most if not the entire year on the practice squad and what we can expect from them during training camp (hopefully) into the regular season.
Luq Barcoo/CB San Diego State – 6010, 175 lbs.
Kicking off this year’s list is Luq Barcoo. A lanky corner and former receiver, he quietly hung around the entire 2023 season with the Steelers (aside from a brief two-day absence in some roster shuffling). Carried through the offseason, he flashed in training camp with plus ball skills because of his wideout background.
Our camp wrap-up noted the good and bad with his game. He could make big plays but also give them up, especially post-catch and making stops in the run game.
“An interesting name given his ball-hawking background — the converted wide receiver picked off nine passes his last year at San Diego State — Barcoo strung together a few solid practices. Over a span of three or four days, he had two interceptions and multiple end-zone breakups. But he has a lanky frame and isn’t a great tackler. There’s willingness but he misses too easily, shooting low and unable to finish on a wide receiver screen against Tampa Bay. He lost playing time from there and had been passed by Chris Wilcox by summer’s end.”
As implied by our report, Barcoo’s best moments came in the early and middle portions of camp. By the end, it felt like he was fading and losing camp reps to someone like CB Chris Wilcox . But when it came time for Pittsburgh to assemble their practice squad, Barcoo got the nod over Wilcox and spent the entire year on the practice squad. Injuries ravaged the Steelers’ safeties but they largely stayed healthy at corner, even if Patrick Peterson got shuffled to safety late in the year. Never a need to call upon the practice squad, Barcoo bided his time working scout team and practicing each week.
The closest he came to an opportunity occurred ahead of the Steelers’ Week 8 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With Joey Porter Jr. and others nicked up, Barcoo saw first-team reps in practice. But Porter and company were healthy enough to suit up and Barcoo didn’t earn an elevation.
It’s been awhile but Barcoo does have NFL experience. He logged 152 defensive snaps, no small number, with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. And funny enough, battled CB Josiah Scott for playing time, the two teammates again after Scott inked a deal with the Steelers last week.
But a lack of special teams value, zero snaps that year, and a wiry frame will make returning to the field a tough mountain to climb. James Pierre and Levi Wallace are pending free agents, though it’s reasonable one is retained, and the team has no clear choice to start opposite Porter in 2024. That creates a path to Barcoo but his limitations might not get him through the door.
