It’s not over until it’s over. Rookie QB John Rhys Plumlee may have a slim chance of making the roster, but as FB Roosevelt Nix and others have already shown, a spot in the 53 can be secured in the final preseason game. Speaking to reporters after practice on Thursday, the versatile and athletic Plumlee talked about the chances of making a spectacular play in the return game.
“It’s been fun,” Plumlee told reporters via Steelers.com. “It’s been a learning process. I feel like we’ve gotten better every week. Hopefully that trend will continue. Hopefully we’ll try to make a big hit this week. We’ll see. But I’m excited about the scheme we executed this week.”
Although Plumlee is listed as quarterback, the position he has played for most of his college career, he has been given plenty of work in other roles as well. The team began trying him out as a kick returner in the spring and continued through summer training camp, where he worked daily in the kick return line, in special teams periods and in the team’s two preseason games. In fact, he will go down in history as the first Steeler to return a kick under the NFL’s “dynamic kickoff” rules adopted by the XFL.
Despite his history as a quarterback, Plumlee is an elite athlete. He played baseball and football throughout his college career, hitting 10 home runs last year as an outfielder for Central Florida. He also once played a baseball and football game in the same day, hitting a triple on the field before rushing to start his school’s spring game and firing a touchdown pass.
A top high school prospect who originally played for Ole Miss, he started out playing quarterback before the Rebels moved him to wide receiver in late 2020 and for all of 2021. He caught 19 passes for 201 yards in the 2021 season, including one for 115 yards against Liberty. He made big plays like this one throughout the game.
Plumlee transferred to UCF the following season and returned as a quarterback. He was a starter for two years before going undrafted in April of this year. Our scouting report suggested a move back to receiver, but the Steelers gave him a $30,000 signing bonus, the most they’ve ever given a UDFA to play quarterback. With Russell Wilson nursing a calf strain, Plumlee got extra time in the first half of training camp, although his performance at quarterback was generally poor.
Still, he showed he’s willing to do anything else. He returned kicks and looked solid doing so. He played receiver for a few days when the lines got thin. And he served as PP on the punt coverage team in the opening game and made a tackle in the fourth quarter.
“It was new for everybody,” Plumlee said of adjusting the kick return. “But it’s still a lot of fun to go out there. And we’re still waiting for a big catch.”
Cordarrelle Patterson is the team’s primary kick returner, but NFL rules state that two players must line up in the “landing zone” inside the 20. The second Steeler is still uncertain. Perhaps it will be a RB like Jaylen Warren or a WR like Scotty Miller or Calvin Austin III. If Plumlee can make a spectacular play, he will move closer to a roster spot than he currently is. While those chances remain slim, it would secure him a practice squad spot, which could allow Plumlee a midseason promotion if injuries or need create the opportunity.
