Rookie wide receiver Roc Taylor was caught up in yesterday’s slew of Pittsburgh Steelers roster moves. Waived despite being an intriguing undrafted free agent who made plays throughout the summer, his release was a curious decision. Beat writer Ray Fittipaldo offered details for why Taylor was shown the door.
“He actually got in [Mike] Tomlin’s doghouse at the joint practice,” Fittipaldo wrote during a Tuesday chat for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Not sure if that’s the sole reason he was cut but maybe part of it.”
Unfortunately, Fittipaldo doesn’t expand on Taylor’s actions that put him there. For joint practices, Tomlin has a strict no-fighting policy and if Taylor got into a dustup with a Buccaneers player that would be one way to get on Tomlin’s bad side. Ahead of last year’s joint session with the Buffalo Bills, Tomlin told players those who fight would be removed from practice and barred from entering again.
Whatever Taylor did, he still played in Saturday’s preseason game. He logged 16 offensive snaps and recorded three catches for 39 yards. He blocked well, got yards after the catch, and his only blemish was a missed touchdown on a go ball from QB Logan Woodside. Whether quarterback or receiver is more to blame for the incompletion is hard to judge.
A lack of special teams value may have been as big a reason why Taylor lost out. His eight special teams snaps through two games trailed veteran Brandon Johnson and fellow rookies Ke’Shawn Williams and Max Hurleman.
Taylor will look to catch on elsewhere before roster cutdowns in a few days. Failing that, he’ll hit the tryout circuit in the hopes of landing on a practice squad when injuries hit the NFL throughout the regular season. Taylor’s release is a reminder that for players at the bottom of the depth chart like him, versatility is key, and what players do beyond the technical aspects of their position can be critical to sticking around for the entire summer.
