Getty Caleb Benenoch, right, with Tampa Bay Bucs QB Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2018.
On Tuesday the Pittsburgh Steelers worked out former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch, a former 2016 fifth-round pick who played for the Bucs between 2016 and 2019. During his four years in Tampa Bay Benenoch played in 35 games with 22 starts, including 16 starts at right guard in 2018.
Since being released by the Bucs in September of last year he spent time with the New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions, but never appeared in a game with any of those teams.
Benenoch is a native of Lagos, Nigeria who played his college football at UCLA. His tryout follows in the wake of a busy day on Monday, when the Steelers worked out five players: Kyahva Tezino, a linebacker from San Diego State; Jayrone Elliott, a linebacker from Toledo; Andrew Dickenson, a guard from the University of Findlay; and a pair of long-snappers, Liam McCollough of Ohio State and Rex Sunahara of West Virginia.
An Update on Ray-Ray McCloud
While it’s easy to be dismissive of the organization’s attempt to upgrade the bottom end of the roster, it appears that those efforts may pay dividends going forward. Yesterday The Athletic‘s Mark Kaboly noted that Ray-Ray McCloud, who signed with the Steelers on August 20, “is noticeably faster and quicker than the bottom half of the wide receivers room, making one wonder why McCloud wasn’t on a roster when the Steelers signed him last week.”
“He flashed suddenness and explosiveness in his pass routes,” added Kaboly, noting that “Minkah Fitzpatrick was forced to work overtime to cover McCloud during red zone one-on-ones.”
As for McCloud’s place on the team, Kaboly says “you’d have to look at him and Deon Cain as the potential sixth receiver and the first one on the practice squad. [But] Cain has been nondescript so far….”
An Update on Curtis Riley
Yet another recent free agent acquisition also looks as if he may pay dividends for the Steelers this season. Former Giants and Raiders safety Curtis Riley “keeps making plays in training camp,” says Bob Labriola of Steelers.com.
Defensive backs coach Tom Bradley has noticed Riley as well, telling the media that “He’s one of the guys that each day has shown a little bit more and more, and we’re getting excited about him as we continue through this process of watching him. One of the thing that’s difficult about this preseason is the fact that we don’t have the game simulations. So through drill work and things of that nature, we’ve got to try to simulate as best we can, how we’re going to play. But he’s been impressive so far in camp and we’re looking forward to seeing how he can keep this thing going for the next few weeks.”
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