With the primary thrust of free agency over, teams around the National Football League are now trying to find diamonds in the rough while at the same time, they’re filling out their rosters. You’ll recall that teams can have up to 90 players on their rosters until the end of Training Camp. In other words, teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers are finding “camp bodies.”
That term might sound negative and it largely is but James Harrison was once a camp body and things turned out well for him. While he’s definitely the exception to the rule that doesn’t mean there can’t be other guys like him. The Steelers started adding to their roster on Monday with three guys who might fall into this category.
Wide Receiver Quez Watkins, Quarterback Kyle Allen and Defensive lineman Dean Lowry. Watkins spent his first four seasons in Philadelphia where he played in 49 career games. His best season came in 2021 where he had 43 receptions for over 600 yards. He is ridiculously fast as a straight line guy but he lacks change of direction and has suffered from some drops. His addition adds to a growing list of receivers that don’t offer up a ton in the way of confidence.
Allen comes to his fifth team in seven years. He comes with a lot of experience having started 12 games for Carolina in 2019 and a smattering of games since then. He comes to Pittsburgh knowing that he’s unlikely to see the field with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields ahead of him. Then again, the Steelers did use three QBs in recent seasons so who knows?
Lowry is the one here that intrigues me a bit. He heads into his ninth season having spent the first seven in Green Bay and an eighth in Minnesota. His best days are behind him, this I have no doubts, but the Steelers need help on the defensive front. He brings experience, versatility and toughness. He saw action in just nine games for the Vikings last season and to be honest, his chances of making the roster are slim mostly because he won’t offer much on special teams. That said, let’s see what kind of camp he has first.
These three guys are perfect examples of “camp bodies” and that’s likely all they’ll be but they are also necessary. Many more will be coming in the days and weeks ahead.
