Two ex-Pittsburgh Steelers are world champions. In Super Bowl 58, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime to capture this year’s Lombardi. Here’s the former Steeler’s players who get to proudly hoist the Lombardi into the air.
DL Isaiahh Buggs (Practice Squad)
Pittsburgh drafted Buggs into the NFL, their sixth round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. Reuniting with former DL Coach Karl Dunbar, Buggs had talent and occasionally flashed but his play was maddeningly inconsistent and he struggled with his technique and play above-the-neck.
Appearing in 29 games over three seasons, the Steelers gave up on him mid-way through the 2021 year despite being depleted by defensive line injuries. His career was reborn in Detroit, starting 13 games for the Lions in 2022. He played well and molded into a team leader. But he regressed in 2023, getting into head coach Dan Campbell’s dog house. Buggs played in ten games, starting three, before being released late in the year.
Kansas City inked him to their practice squad but he didn’t appear in a game and wasn’t elevated for the Super Bowl, the Chiefs choosing to promote Mike Pennell instead. Still, Buggs will earn his first ring.
QB Chris Oladkoun (Practice Squad)
Standing around in those Latrobe summers were all worth it. The Steelers’ seventh round pick in 2022, bookending the Kenny Pickett selection, Oladkoun was stuck as the team’s fourth-string quarterback. Receiving almost zero reps in training camp, the team released him even ahead of final cutdowns, a poorly processed selection that had little chance of contribution.
He was scooped up by the Chiefs and has resided on their practice squad the last two years. Meaning, he won a ring as a rookie and as a sophomore. Two years, two rings, zero passes. It’s not a bad life.
