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XFL players the Pittsburgh Steelers could potentially look to add

By Jordan Newman

HOUSTON, TX - MARCH 7: Cam Phillips #14 of the Houston Roughnecks looks on during the XFL game against the Seattle Dragons at TDECU Stadium on March 7, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Thomas Campbell/XFL via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - MARCH 7: Cam Phillips #14 of the Houston Roughnecks looks on during the XFL game against the Seattle Dragons at TDECU Stadium on March 7, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Thomas Campbell/XFL via Getty Images) /
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ST. LOUIS, MO – FEBRUARY 23: Tim Cook III #20 of the New York Guardians tries to get around Dexter McCoil #26 of the St. Louis BattleHawks during the XFL game at The Dome at America’s Center on February 23, 2020 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Rovak/XFL via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO – FEBRUARY 23: Tim Cook III #20 of the New York Guardians tries to get around Dexter McCoil #26 of the St. Louis BattleHawks during the XFL game at The Dome at America’s Center on February 23, 2020 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Scott Rovak/XFL via Getty Images) /

S/LB Dexter McCoil

Year after year in the NFL, coaches & GMs want their players to be able to do more. It may be an overstated quality when describing players, but in a period of football where the athleticism is at a growing rate, versatility is one of the best intangibles an athlete could have. Primarily on defense as well, which former St. Louis Battlehawk Dexter McCoil brings to the table.

What’s different about McCoil, other than being a 6’4 safety that can rotate to LB, is that he has actual NFL & CFL starting experience, and has made quality plays in both.

After going undrafted in 2013 from the University of Tulsa, McCoil crossed the border to the Edmonton Eskimos, where he would play the next two years and ball out. The eventual 2014 CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie, McCoil totaled 134 tackles, 6 sacks, 9 interceptions, 2 touchdowns, & 1 forced fumble. A trend that continued from his Tulsa playing days & whenever the chance was offered to him in the NFL, McCoil creates havoc.

Splitting time between the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers & San Francisco 49ers from 2016-17, then a myriad of practice squad releases the next two years from both teams, we arrive at his time with the Battlehawks in 2019. The only league which he played in and didn’t record a turnover, McCoil still ended with 36 tackles & one sack.  A thumper for the defense, McCoil tied third for combined tackles in the XFL and was a main contributor for its league’s leading scoring defense.

https://twitter.com/xfl_statistics/status/1226661145668395008?s=21

Being able to play in a defense that often runs dime and big-nickel packages and needs depth for both positions, McCoil makes sense for the Steelers schematically. Though he will be 29 years old to start the 2020 season, McCoil has no injury on record that ever placed him out for an extended amount of time & was placed on injury reserve once in 2019 with the Chargers, but for an undisclosed reason.

Next. Steelers Draft Prospects to Watch After Offseason Signings. dark

To conclude the three options the Steelers could look at in signing on Monday, McCoil will be one of the few who knows what’s it like to make a 53 man roster and play in the NFL for a season.

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