The Steelers will be well represented as many former players and coaches will hop onto the field for the USFL.
The USFL is back and will begin its games this Saturday, April 16. It will be interesting to see how the league works and does its thing. They have different rules and aspects of the game that will differentiate them from the NFL. Many football fans will see what this league is all around out of pure curiosity and a hunger to consume football content.
There are many players and coaches in the USFL that will be participating that have connections to the Steelers. They have been involved with the team for different stint from pre-season performances to long-tenured coaches in the black and gold. Many Pittsburgh fans will want to enjoy football and will be given a chance with this new league during the NFL’s offseason.
Honorable mentions
Dravon Askew-Henry, DB, New Jersey Generals, Steeler from 2019 pre-season
Dravon Askew-Henry was able to make for a nice career at nearby West Virginia and got a shot with the Steelers. He would not last long and would be cut from the team. He has bounced around from team to team since then and even played in the XFL before it shut down.
Trey Williams, RB, New Jersey Generals, Steeler from 2017 pre-season
Trey Williams was a journeyman in the league before he got to Pittsburgh. He made some nice plays in the pre-season but would eventually be cut by the team. He has been bouncing around teams and even played in the Canadian league and the XFL since his stint with the black and gold.
Tony Brooks-James, RB, Birmingham Stallions, Steeler from 2019 & 2021 pre-season
Tony Brooks-James had the best pre-season performance out of these three names listed. He had two short stints with the team both in 2019 and in the pre-season of 2021. He would go on to jump around the NFL before he got selected into the USFL by the Stallions.
Brian Allen, CB, Birmingham Stallions, Steeler from 2017-2018
Brian Allen was a former fifth-round selection by the Steelers and he stuck around with the team for a little while. He was a decent player that showed some promise of developing into a solid corner during his young career. He was not able to stick with the club and would be cut just after two years.
Ever since the Steelers cut him, this player has struggled to stick with an NFL team. He has made some clubs and made practice squads since leaving Pittsburgh. Allen has been on five teams since departing the black and gold, but he has a chance to bring his career back to life.
The Birmingham Stallions selected him in the USFL draft, and he can show the NFL he deserves another shot. It will be an uphill climb for this corner and all the players that will participate in this league. His size and speed are what interest many of the scouts that watch him, and he will need to use that to his advantage.
He was an eighth-round pick by the Stallions and will try his best to re-invent himself as he looks for another shot. The Steelers saw something in this player when he was drafted out of Utah, and he can show that promise again. This could become a development league for those falling out of favor in the NFL.
Kirby Wilson, Coach, Pittsburgh Maulers, Steeler from 2007-2013
Kirby Wilson has been a long-time coach in the NFL with experience that stretches decades. He has seen many different eras of football in the NFL. He has even been a coach of the Steelers as he served as their running backs coach from 2007-2013.
Wilson would go on to be the running backs coach for other franchises until he was offered a head coaching gig in the USFL. He will be the head coach of the Pittsburgh Maulers that are returning after their first stint with the league. Another professional football team will call Pittsburgh home beside the black and gold.
Wilson has a ton of coaching experience and that should help his club some. They are led by quarterback, Kyle Lauletta out of Richmond. It will be interesting to see how their second time around in existence goes compared to the first. Hopefully, they can eventually get to the Steel City and play games here.
The USFL will play in a central location for all teams to stay in one area to preserve money and keep Covid under control. That last decision was made when the pandemic was still more prevalent than it is today. The Steelers will always own this town with the Maulers here during the offseason or not.
Paxton Lynch, QB, Michigan Panthers, Steeler from 2019
Paxton Lynch has some of the highest pedigree that was taken in the USFL draft. He was taken 26 overall by the Denver Broncos in the 2016 NFL Draft. He was expected to be their next franchise quarterback, but he quickly became a bust. He would jump around from team to team just after two years with the Broncos.
He landed with the Steelers with a chance at being the third-string quarterback. He stuck around only for a season before he was released by the club. His time with the black and gold was unproductive and unmemorable.
Lynch would then move onto the Canadian league in hopes of trying to figure his career out. He did not play during his time with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and his career could be over soon. The USFL draft could be a godsend for this player and his last opportunity to make a career in this sport.
This quarterback was selected by the Michigan Panthers and seems like he might not start for that team either. Shea Patterson seems to be the guy that will get the nod to start for the Panthers and that will be detrimental for Lynch and his potential rebound. It is going to be a steep climb for him to get back into the NFL and it seems like his career in football might be over.
Todd Haley, Coach, Tampa Bay Bandits, Steeler from 2012-2017
Todd Haley has a big chunk of coaching experience that he can put on his resume. He has long been an offensive coordinator and even helped the Steelers become one of the better offenses in the mid-2010s. He even has NFL head coaching experience with the Kansas City Chiefs.
He has been out of professional coaching for a couple of years after his stint as the Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator ended. Haley is a local Pittsburgh product that was the black and golds offensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017. Now he looks to get back into relevancy as he enters the USFL as a head coach and general manager.
He will fill those roles with the Tampa Bay Bandits and try to field a competitive team in this renewed league. His ultimate hope must be getting back into the NFL after years of conflict with his players. He was rumored to have issues with some of the bigger named players that he coached during his last couple of stints in the NFL.
Ben Roethlisberger and Haley were rumored to have butted heads a few times in Pittsburgh. It was also rumored that Haley also had problems with some of the players in Cleveland as well. He will get a chance to show the NFL what he has left in the tank by constructing his own roster and coaching them from the ground up.
The Steelers are well represented in the revitalized USFL. It will be interesting to see if this league can stick around for the long haul or fall off a cliff.