If the Steelers carry four tight ends again this season, then JJ Galbreath is in good shape for the moment. They only have four tight ends on their roster after Donald Parham Jr.’s injury, though they will add another. Even once they do, however, the rookie college free agent is an intriguing sleeper who is drawing attention.
The latest eye Galbreath has caught is Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat writer Ray Fittipaldo, who singled him out at minicamp’s end. “The one guy I’ve noticed”, he said on 93.7 The Fan, “is an undrafted free agent out of South Dakota State”.
He said that JJ Galbreath “moves around really good”, which fits our pre-draft scouting report. Fittipaldo questioned whether the South Dakota product could block, as did Alex Kozora in his report linked to above. We actually put a fifth-round grade on him, and the Steelers signed him as a free agent.
“But he’s a pretty big athlete. He’s a pretty fluid athlete”, Fittipaldo added. “So that’s one guy I want to watch in training camp. I don’t know if there’s a spot for him on the team, but kind of an under-the-radar guy going into camp. Galbreath from South Dakota State”.
Shortly after the draft, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic singled out Galbreath as a potential sleeper. “I think it’s going to create competition”, he said. “I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibilities that guys like Connor Heyward, even though he has special teams value and versatility at fullback, he could be in competition with JJ Galbreath”.
And he has continued to draw eyes since the Steelers have gotten him onto the practice field. Most notably, Galbreath has the eyes of Will Howard, with whom he has worked extensively for additional post-practice work. “That’s the guy”, the rookie quarterback said of his tight end making plays for him.
Last season the Steelers carried four tight ends under OC Arthur Smith, who uses more tight end-heavy packages than anyone else in the NFL. They retain Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and Connor Heyward, but did not re-sign MyCole Pruitt. As mentioned, JJ Galbreath is the only other tight end on the 90-man roster.
The Steelers have had some success with rookie undrafted free agents in the rather recent past. Last year, they unearthed Beanie Bishop Jr., who had four interceptions as a rookie. In 2022, it was RB Jaylen Warren, who could take on a starting role this season. If Galbreath makes it, recent Steelers history shows there is a clear path to playing time and success.
Of course, were he to make the 53-man roster, he would be playing behind Freiermuth and Washington. I mean, let’s put it this way. In an interview with Missi Matthews, when she asked Arthur Smith about Washington, he said, “It’s hard for me not to smile when you bring up Darnell”. And he smiled. So until JJ Galbreath can put a pierogi-eating grin on his coordinator’s face, he’ll have to content himself with whatever comes his way.
