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 of if not the entire year on the practice squad and what we can expect from them during training camp and (hopefully) into the regular season. Today, an outlook on OL Tyler Beach.
Tyler Beach/OL Wisconsin – 6056, 304 pounds
There’s nothing the Steelers love more than someone from Wisconsin. While most of their rostered Badgers are on defense, Beach represents the big guys up front offensively. A three-year starter, he filled in when and where needed during his time in college. Beach logged time at right tackle, left tackle, left guard, and even as a tackle-eligible tight end.
Like many players impacted by COVID and granted extra eligibility, he spent plenty of time in school. After redshirting as a true freshman in 2017, he played through 2022. He bulked up along the way, entering school at a listed 290 pounds and tipping the scales at 317 when he left, though he came in just over 300 at his Pro Day workout.
Not invited to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, his Pro Day numbers were solid though largely unremarkable. A 1.85 10-split, 31-inch vertical, 8’5″ broad, and 21 reps on the bench press, a big disappointment given his 32.5-inch arms. For whatever reason, many Badgers show their strength on the field but not always in the weight room.
Undrafted, the Houston Texans inked Beach to a contract last April. Carried through the summer, he logged 89 preseason snaps as the Texans leaned on his versatility. He played left tackle (55 snaps), right tackle (28), and right guard (six), per Pro Football Focus’ charting.
Waived at final cutdowns, he wasn’t re-signed to the team’s practice squad. Like most in his position, he hit the tryout circuit late December. As is tradition, the Steelers will host about two dozen players in the final weeks to build a short list of potential Reserve/Future candidates once their season ends. Beach became one of those targets, signed on Jan. 9.
If he makes it to Latrobe, versatility will be Beach’s calling card. If you’re not a starter, you better be versatile, and Beach has played pretty much everything except center. Of course, center is the one area where Pittsburgh’s the weakest and Beach’s lack of arm length makes him a more attractive interior candidate, though Houston primarily played him at tackle. It will probably take a lot for Beach to stick around but in a second NFL season where he can focus fully on football and not all the noise surrounding the draft, there’s no 40 time or pre-draft visits on his plate, perhaps he’ll make a push to hang around into the fall.
