JUST IN: Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin work out 9 offensive players ahead of Week 17

According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the Steelers worked out nine offensive players on Thursday.

Two quarterbacks, two wide receivers, three tackles, a running back, and a tight end are on the tryout list.

The Steelers worked out rookie quarterbacks Adrian Martinez and Matthew McKay. Martinez is a dual-threat quarterback who attended Nebraska and Kansas State in college. Martinez tossed for 1,261 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception in his final year at college, while also rushing for 627 yards and ten scores. This season, the 6’2″ 220 pound quarterback has spent time on the Detroit Lions’ practice squad.

McKay, like Martinez, played college football at NC State, Montana State, and Elon and is a threat as a rusher. In his final year of collegiate football, the 6’4 212-pound quarterback threw for 2,690 yards, 21 touchdowns, and four interceptions while also rushing for 458 yards and three scores.
Pittsburgh tested out two additional rookies at wide receiver, Xavier “Zay” Malone and Keilahn Harris. Malone attended Henderson State University and has 67 catches for 1,382 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2022. This year, the 5’9, 180-pound receiver spent time with the Atlanta Falcons. Harris is a former Falcon as well. In 2022, the 5’10, 180-pound receiver caught 80 passes for 1,050 yards and seven touchdowns for Oklahoma Baptist.

Tyler Beach, Devery Hamilton, and Hunter Thedford were also worked out by the Steelers. Beach attended the University of Wisconsin for his NCAA football career. In 2022, the 6’6″, 290-pound lineman started nine games at both guard and tight end. Coaches named him All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2021. Hamilton went on to play college football at Stanford and Duke, where he started at both guard and tackle. The Giants and Raiders practice squads have both used the 6’6″ 311-pound lineman.
When he first entered the NFL, Thedford was a tight end, having previously played at SMU and Utah. Despite being undersized at 6’6 260 pounds, he shifted to offensive tackle in the NFL. During his stint with the Lions, Patriots, Broncos, and Browns, Thedford reportedly bulked up to 290 pounds.

Derek Parish, a 2023 seventh-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, was also worked out by the Steelers today. Parish is a versatile player who has played linebacker, defensive end, and fullback in college. At the NFL level, you’ll also see him labeled as a tight end and a running back. Parish was a team captain at the University of Houston, where he finished his undergraduate career with 20 total tackles and five sacks. Parish made the positional adjustment to fullback/running back at the professional level despite being 6’2 and 245 pounds. He had a similar profile to current Steelers practice squad member and linebacker/fullback/special teams ace Jack Colletto.
Parish reportedly consumed seven pounds of steak in one sitting during his junior year of college to win an eating challenge between offensive and defensive linemen at the University of Houston, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Pittsburgh also worked out tight end Johnny Lumpkin, a rookie who attended Louisiana State University. The 6’5 264-pound tight end had 16 catches for 243 yards and four touchdowns in his final year of collegiate football. He’s played for the Colts and the Patriots in the NFL.

As Steelers reporter Nick Farabaugh pointed out, these exercises are likely unrelated to the rest of the 2023 season, and instead represent the Steelers getting an early start on scouting names for prospective reserve/future contracts in the summer.

The Steelers’ next game this season is against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET.