It’s pretty tough for a new player, even a veteran, to play in a regular season game just days after joining a team. But the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ Marquez Valdes-Scantling signing isn’t the typical midseason addition.
Valdes-Scantling played for the Steelers last year and has five seasons of experience with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers also have three receivers dealing with injuries as they enter their Week 7 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.
So could Valdes-Scantling play only five days after the Steelers officially brought him back on the roster? Head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t rule it out.
“Oh, we’ll see,” McCarthy said when asked if Valdes-Scatling will dress this week. “We got an abbreviated practice here today and a full one before we go tomorrow.
“So yeah, we’ll see what happens.”
Steelers’ Mike McCarthy Reacts to Adding WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
The Steelers bringing back Valdes-Scantling is a reunion on multiple levels. In addition to playing in Pittsburgh briefly last year and with Rodgers for parts of five campaigns, McCarthy was the receiver’s first NFL head coach in 2018.
The Packers fired McCarthy midway through Valdes-Scantling’s rookie season. But the wideout finished the campaign with 15.3 yards per catch while making 10 starts.
“It’s great to see him. I had him as a youngster when he came out,” McCarthy told reporters Wednesday. “I know he was here last year. You could just see when he walked in the building, everybody’s excited to have him back.
“So, it’s great to have him a part of it.”
The Steelers added Valdes-Scantling in October last year with a similar need at receiver. This season, the Steelers roster featured better wideout depth, but the team has lost three receivers to injury this month.
Pittsburgh placed wideout Roman Wilson on injured reserve Saturday. It was the second wideout the team placed on IR in eight days. Veteran Michael Pittman Jr. went on IR on October 10.
Fellow veteran wideout Ben Skowronek has avoided IR, but he missed Sunday’s contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
With Wilson going on IR, the Steelers added running back Lew Nichols from their practice squad to their active roster. The team then signed Valdes-Scantling on Tuesday to the practice squad’s open spot.
Last season, Valdes-Scantling caught 10 passes for 80 yards with a touchdown in five games with Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Reunites Valdes-Scantling With QB Aaron Rodgers
Valdes-Scantling spent less than a year with McCarthy as his head coach. But the veteran wideout has an extensive relationship with Rodgers.
All 59 of his games with the Packers was with Rodgers behind center. The veteran quarterback was obviously with Pittsburgh last year as well.
In four seasons with the Packers, Valdes-Scantling posted 123 catches, 2,153 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. He averaged 17.5 yards per reception.
That experience could help Valdes-Scantling play immediately for the Steelers this weekend. The team will face the Saints in the NFL’s first regular season game in Paris, France on Sunday.
Although on the practice squad, the Steelers could elevate Valdes-Scantling for the game. The Steelers elevated receivers Brandon Johnson and Brandon Smith from the practice squad for Week 6. Neither wideout caught a pass.
This offseason, Valdes-Scantling expressed that he wanted to rejoin the Steelers. But unclear about whether Rodgers would return, the wideout signed with the Dallas Cowboys.
After the Cowboys cut Valdes-Scantling in late August, the veteran signed with the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad. The Chargers released the receiver on Saturday.
Steelers’ Mike McCarthy Drops Hint on Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s Role vs. Saints