Five Former Steelers Headed To Super Bowl 58
There is no Super Bowl 58 for the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, there are plenty of former Steelers on the rosters of the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, the two teams playing in Las Vegas on February 11, if you want to live vicariously via them. These former Steelers are participating in Super Bowl LVIII.
Kansas City Chiefs of the AFC
CB Isaiah Buggs (Rehearsal Team)
Buggs, a sixth-round pick of the Steelers in 2019, has trouble settling in Pittsburgh. In 2021, injuries decimated their defensive line, leaving Buggs to start in six games despite having consistency, technique, and mental processing issues. His greatest moment came when he stopped Lamar Jackson, the quarterback for the Ravens, on a fourth down to help the Steelers win.
Now, Buggs’ team has bested Baltimore again and are headed to the Super Bowl. Buggs began the year with one of the two final teams in the NFC, the Detroit Lions, but was released late in the season and scooped up by the Chiefs. He’s yet to appear in a game this season for Kansas City and isn’t likely to dress for the big game two weeks from now. Still, he’s in line to receive a ring.
QB Chris Oladokun (squad practice)
Pittsburgh selected quarterbacks with its final pick in the 2022 draft, serving as a showcase. Reps were practically hard to come by for the Steelers’ fourth-string player during camp, as Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, and Mason Rudolph took advantage of every opportunity they were given. Even by seventh round standards, Oladokun was discharged before he could even reach the final cutdowns.
At the end of August, he signed with the Chiefs and became a rookie All-Star. He’ll attempt to add additional jewelry now. On the scout team, he should stay on the practice squad, but coaches recently complimented him on his ability to mimic mobile quarterbacks. Simply because you have an Oladokun on your squad, you want to play in the Super Bowl.
CB Arthur Maulet and WR Dan Chisena would have taken the field if Baltimore had advanced.
San Francisco 49ers of the NFC
Ray-Ray McCloud, WR
McCloud’s career was revived in Pittsburgh, a mid-camp add who made the 53 thanks to a live kick return drill touchdown during the team’s 2020 camp, extra aggressive because of the pandemic wiping out the preseason. He spent two seasons as the Steelers’ primary kick and punt returner, leading the NFL in punt returns and yardage in 2021.
Perhaps the Steelers would’ve welcomed him back but the 49ers offered him good money to head out West. His role stayed the same though he was worked into their offense more effectively, recording his first NFL touchdown in 2022. Injuries hampered him this year but he still served as the team’s leading return man with a handful of receptions and rushes mixed in.
DT Javon Hargrave
The most well-known former Steeler to be playing in Las Vegas is Hargrave. In the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh took a rare chance on an early round small school prospect by selecting Hargrave. Hargrave discovered the field fast and did well in it. Though he was unable to fully utilize his potential due to Pittsburgh’s 3-4 system, which limited nose tackle snap counts, and being surrounded by Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt, Hargrave nevertheless showed remarkable athleticism for his small stature.
Prior to the 2020 campaign, he inked a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, whereupon he excelled during his contract year and went on to record 11 sacks in 2022. The 49ers were rewarded handsomely with a four-year, $84 million contract as a result. In San Francisco this year, he recorded seven sacks and was selected for his second Pro Bowl. In the past, Hargrave stated that he preferred the 49ers than the Cleveland Browns mostly to avoid the wrath of the Steelers supporters. Discuss making the best decision. Being Javon Hargrave is a great day. Today, tomorrow, and possibly the remaining days, contingent upon the events of February 11.
Original Jesse Davis (Team Practice)
It would be acceptable if you ignored Davis’s time spent in Pittsburgh. Davis, a seasoned and potentially flexible o-line depth player, was acquired by the Steelers from the Minnesota Vikings just prior to the 2022 season. However, Pittsburgh’s starting five, who played in all 17 games, remained astonishingly healthy, forcing Davis to sit out the entire season. a meager amount of offensive plays, with only 16 coming from special teams.
He was signed by the 49ers on Halloween, but he hasn’t played a single offensive action in one game while only managing five field goal unit snaps.
DT Tyson Alualu and CB Cam Sutton would have been playing in the Super Bowl if the Detroit Lions had managed to hang on.
