The Pittsburgh Steelers released WR Jacob Copeland during their roster cuts earlier this week, but Copeland doesn’t feel as though he was given an opportunity to make an impact. Taking to Twitter on Friday, Copeland responded to a fan asking why he was cut, which he said was due to not having an opportunity.
“Didn’t get a chance to showcase preseason. No opportunity,” Copeland wrote on Twitter.
Copeland only played 13 snaps for the Steelers in the preseason, 10 in the team’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans and three in the preseason finale against the Detroit Lions. He had one target in both games but failed to make a reception. Of his 13 snaps, 11 came in the slot.
Whether or not Copeland was given a fair enough opportunity, he faced long odds to make Pittsburgh’s roster to begin with. The preseason was an opportunity for the Steelers to see what they had in their receiver room behind George Pickens, which meant plenty of snaps for WRs Quez Watkins, Scotty Miller and Van Jefferson. Watkins saw 66 offensive snaps at receiver, the most on the team, and didn’t make the final 53-man roster, although he was re-signed to the practice squad. WR Dez Fitzpatrick, who played 65 offensive snaps and made an impact with 5 receptions for 130 yards, also didn’t make the 53-man roster.
Even if Copeland did see more snaps, there’s no guarantee Copeland would’ve made the roster. This preseason also wasn’t Pittsburgh’s first look at him as he spent time on the team’s practice squad during the 2023 season, so they had some familiarity with his skillset after they brought him back in June. It wasn’t as if the team had just signed Copeland and decided not to use him, and they likely wanted to get a look at some other guys who may have had a better shot of making the roster.
Copeland also didn’t impress during training camp with just six targets, and he earned a D- grade from Alex Kozora in his training camp grades.
Copeland has yet to log a regular season snap in the NFL. He’s also spent time with the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings after going undrafted out of Maryland in the 2023 NFL Draft, and his situation really just seems like a product of circumstance. He joined the Steelers after mandatory minicamp so he didn’t have the extra offseason work with the team, and with other receivers ahead of him, he didn’t have the greatest opportunity in Pittsburgh. Sometimes, that’s just how it is when you’re one of 90 players fighting to make a 53-man roster in the NFL.
Up to this point, Copeland hasn’t caught on elsewhere, and he wasn’t signed to Pittsburgh’s practice squad, which is full after the recent addition of Watkins. Given his displeasure with his opportunity in Pittsburgh, I wouldn’t expect him to end up back with the Steelers any time soon.
