Pittsburgh Steelers Exit Meeting: TE MyCole Pruitt
Experience: 10 Years (1 with Steelers)
Suffice it to say that the Steelers hiring Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator drove their signing of TE MyCole Pruitt. Once hooking up with him in Tennessee, Pruitt followed him to Atlanta and then to Pittsburgh. But how much longer does this relationship need to last? The clock is already ticking, as he is nearly 33 years old.
Not entirely unlike Connor Heyward, MyCole Pruitt lacks a prototypical tight-end size. However, he has displayed a greater tendency to overcome it throughout his career. The Steelers did use him more often in in-line blocking situations. While he doesn’t always hold up, he always makes an effort.
However, Pruitt’s doom for remaining with the Steelers in 2025 could be the number 15. That is the number of snaps that he played on special teams, and unless that changes, I don’t know that he will survive the cut again. He did play 122 snaps the year before for Arthur Smith in Atlanta, so it’s not impossible.
But it’s hard to ignore that he is about to turn 33, too. It’s not like Pruitt’s game is built around athleticism or anything, but NFL players do age out of the league. Even Steelers great Heath Miller only played 11 seasons at age 33.
Pruitt is entering his 11th season now. Of course, there would be no harm in the Steelers merely re-signing him, provided that they guarantee him nothing. If he earns a roster spot, then so be it. After all, the Steelers have a lot of needs this offseason and may not be able to address tight ends.
Somehow, MyCole Pruitt drew 10 targets in the Steelers’ offense last season. He caught six for 40 yards, scoring one touchdown against the Ravens. That’s right, in one game, the Steelers produced both of their touchdowns with MyCole Pruitt and Cordarrelle Patterson.
Put simply, though, there isn’t a compelling case to make for Pruitt on the Steelers’ 53-man roster in 2025. If they can’t find a better option between now and the start of the regular season, that’s on them. He served his purpose in 2024 by helping the unit transition into Arthur Smith’s offense. They just signed Donald Parham Jr., but he doesn’t exactly move the needle a mile. Few people in the league understood Smith’s philosophy better than Pruitt, given their time logged together. But now that they have a year under their belts, he is just a third or fourth tight end.
The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves at home, the inevitable result of another early playoff exit. This is a repeated pattern for the organization, with no clear end in sight. As the Steelers conduct their own exit meetings, we will go down the roster conducting our own. Who should stay, and who should go, and how? Who should expect a bigger role next season, and who might deserve a new contract? We’ll explore those questions and more in these articles, part of an annual series.
