It’s not over until it’s over. Rookie QB John Rhys Plumlee might have long roster odds but as FB Roosevelt Nix and others have shown before, a spot on the 53 can be captured in a preseason finale. Speaking to reporters following Thursday’s practice, the versatile and athletic Plumlee talked up the chances of creating a splash play in the return game.
“It’s been fun,” Plumlee told reporters via Steelers.com. “It’s been a learning curve. I feel like we’ve gotten better every week. Hopefully gonna continue in that trend. Hopefully try to pop a big one this week. We’ll see. But excited about the scheme that we got in this week.”
Though listed as a quarterback, the position he played most of his college career, Plumlee’s gotten plenty of work wearing other hats. The team began trying him as a returner in the spring and carried that into the summer’s training camp, where he’s received daily work in the kick return line, in special team periods, and in the team’s two preseason games. In fact, he will be known as the first Steeler to return a kick under the NFL’s “dynamic kickoff” rules borrowed from the XFL.
Despite his quarterback background, Plumlee is a top-end athlete. He played baseball and football throughout his college career, hitting 10 homers as an outfielder for Central Florida last year. He also once played a baseball and football game in the same day, hitting a triple on the diamond before rushing over to start his school’s spring game and firing a touchdown pass.
A top high school prospect who originally committed to Ole Miss, he began playing quarterback before the Rebels moved him to wide receiver at the end of 2020 and for all of 2021. In the ’21 season, he caught 19 passes for 201 yards, including a 115-yard showing against Liberty. He made big plays like this throughout the game.
Plumlee transferred the following season to UCF and returned as a quarterback. He started for two years before going undrafted this April. Our scouting report suggested a move back to receiver, but the Steelers gave him a $30,000 signing bonus, the largest they’ve ever handed out to an UDFA, to play quarterback. With Russell Wilson nursing a calf strain, Plumlee saw extra reps in the first half of camp, though his play as a quarterback was generally poor.
Still, he’s shown a willingness to do everything else. He’s returned kicks and looked solid doing it. He played receiver for a couple of days when lines got thin. And he served as the PP on the punt coverage team in the opener, making a fourth quarter tackle.
“It’s been new for everybody,” Plumlee said of the kick return adjustment. “But nonetheless, it’s still a lot of fun to get out there. And still waiting on a big one.”
Cordarrelle Patterson is the team’s primary kick returner but NFL rules state two players must align in the “landing zone” inside the 20. The second Steeler is up in the air. Perhaps it’ll be a RB like Jaylen Warren or a WR like Scotty Miller or Calvin Austin III. If Plumlee can create a splash play, he’ll nudge himself closer to a roster spot than he is right now. Even though those odds would remain long, it would lock up a practice squad spot that could see Plumlee elevated mid-season, should injuries or need create the opportunity.
