The Pittsburgh Steelers are kicking off the voluntary portion of their offseason training activities today with the first of six OTA practices. Along with that, the latest additions to the team who had not yet been assigned jersey numbers now have them. UDFA DL Blake Mangelson and third-year OG Nick Broeker are now listed with numbers in team-provided media documents.
– DL Blake Mangelson: No. 65
– OG Nick Broeker: No. 61
OT Dan Moore Jr. was the last Steeler to wear No. 65 before he signed a big-money deal with the Tennessee Titans in free agency. Other notable Steelers to wear that number over the years were John Jackson from 1988 to 1997 and Lloyd Voss from 1966 to 1971. Alan Faneca also wore that number for the first two seasons of his Hall of Fame career before switching to No. 66.
Mangelson was one of the last UDFAs added to the roster and he has a very crowded DL room to compete against.
The last player to wear No. 61 in Pittsburgh was Logan Lee prior to his rookie season, though he has since changed to No. 91. C Mason Cole wore it from 2022-23. Though several players have worn 61 throughout the years, not many have made a name for themselves in that number in the Black and Gold. Long snapper Jared Retkofsky wore 61 as he was signed as a former tryout player. He went from moving furniture to make ends meet to being a Super Bowl champion.
Players on the back end of the roster are long shots to make the 53-man roster or even the practice squad. Even if they do, it isn’t uncommon for them to change numbers as more become available around roster cutdown time. I would hold off on buying a Mangelson or Broeker jersey for the time being, though Broeker has a chance to become a fan favorite in training camp due to his play strength and run-blocking ability.
