The path from the practice squad
Towson grad Dangerfield among Steelers who made leap from fringe to starter
PITTSBURGH — Jordan Dangerfield never lost faith, even as the months passed and the dreaded visits to Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin’s office informing the safety he was being released from the team’s practice squad piled up.
Three times between August 2014 and July 2015 the Towson University alumnus found himself looking for work because the Steelers had needs in other areas. And three times they called back, asking Dangerfield whether he wanted to put his hand in the pile one more time. Three times Dangerfield said yes.
“I know guys in the league that I played with that were in the same position,” Dangerfield said. “I just had to be patient and wait for my time.”
His time finally presented itself last summer, when Dangerfield made Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster as a special teamer then found himself making his first career start last week against the Kansas City Chiefs while Robert Golden nursed a hamstring injury.
Dangerfield demonstrated that he belonged, making five tackles while looking at home on the big stage. Dangerfield called his performance “a sigh of relief” but nothing more.
“I’m not satisfied from that,” Dangerfield said. “I have to develop my game and improve all around.”
And that’s kind of the point of having a practice squad in the first place, especially in Pittsburgh. A franchise that prides itself on continuity loves to take a flyer on a player who’s looking for a foothold in the league and mold them into differencemakers.
“I think when guys come here they have that belief, if something happens Coach isn’t necessarily going to the outside world and pull a guy from a different team,” starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “He’s going to give a guy here a shot first. That makes guys believe and understand in themselves and the system here.”
The proof is scattered throughout the roster. The list of practice squad graduates who will be in uniform for the Steelers (3-1) today when the New York Jets (1-3) visit include five-time Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison and starting left tackle Alejandro Villanueva.
Practice squad members line up with the starters occasionally and are expected to keep copious notes regardless of status.
“We’re in all the meetings, basically all the team meetings,” Dangerfield said. “They keep you active.”
Dangerfield has become a special teams ace, likely making his spot a little more secure. He’s nowhere near ready to say that he’s made it, but he did make at least one small change to his lifestyle. He signed a six-month lease before the season. It’s not a permanent address, but it sure beats those lonely workouts in the fall of 2013 waiting for the phone to ring.
“Before the game on Sunday night I was definitely thinking about the time I was sitting at home for a whole year of football,” he said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity I got.”