Under Omar Khan, the Steelers have been relatively consistent in keeping the players that they have drafted. So far, he has yet to cut a rookie in their first season, and only two draft picks have been cut from the team since Khan took over.
For Donte Kent, he may become an exception to this rule.
A seventh-round pick last year, the expectation was for Kent to compete as a slot defender. He received a lot of work with the second-team defense before an injury wiped out the rest of his camp.
The Steelers opened up his practice window only to see Kent tear his ACL in December. He would have needed a strong camp to even make the practice squad, but that doesn’t seem likely now that he is on the PUP list.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have completely missed on Donte Kent
The secondary room has been added to aggressively this offseason, and while Kent was never cut from the roster, he felt like a distant afterthought amidst all the other talent.
Now, he won’t even have a chance to earn a spot because he is still recovering from his other injury. You would assume he would miss out on at least the first half of training camp before getting activated.
At that point, it feels unlikely he makes the team in any fashion.
Perhaps his best bet is to be carried on the PUP list into the regular season and essentially have another year spent not playing on the reserve list. His long-term future wouldn’t be great, obviously, but it gives him another chance to stick next year.
There is no telling if Pittsburgh would be willing to carry him again for another season with no chance of getting production. It seems more likely that he is promoted when healthy enough to play and is cut at the end of the preseason.
He isn’t the only former draft pick facing long odds to make the team. Logan Lee is in the middle of a deep defensive line group, while Kaleb Johnson is the most notable name with a warm seat this year. However, both will have a chance to earn their spot this year.
Kent won’t, and unless he gets on the field sooner rather than later, he can kiss his roster chances goodbye. He may not be the only former draft pick jettisoned, but he seems like a lock not to be on this team by the time the regular season gets underway.
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