Athletic TE Lights Up Steelers Secondary at Training Camp

UNITY TWP., Pa. — You probably don’t know the name Rodney Williams. The Steelers picked up the undrafted tight end out of UT Martin last year and he sat on the practice squad for the year. Under the guide of Alfredo Roberts, Williams put up a quality spring and is now putting together a quality training camp.

In the red zone period, Williams was the star in the period. The fifth tight end has been good all of training camp but he looks like he belongs. He made a great catch of a bobbling throw from Mason Rudolph. Then, worked against Trenton Thompson and separated on a sail route with ease. He has crisp routes and has come quite far in his blocking. If the team did not already have four guys here, Williams would make this team.

Nicknamed ‘Hot Rod’ by Zach Gentry, it has caught on as an affectionate nickname for one of the better underdog stories on the roster. So, what does a ‘Hot Rod’ do on the football field? Well, they do a lot of things, but first of all, they use their athleticism to blow past people.

“A ‘hot rod’ on the football runs past people, makes plays, just does his assignment and gives effort and energy,” Williams said.

Williams believes that at some point his time is coming. The biggest leap in his game has been as a blocker. Coming out of college and before joining the Steelers, teams knocked his blocking skills. But now, he is winning more often than not as a blocker and turning into a guy that can play at all different positions. So, don’t tell Williams himself that he can’t do the impossible and make the team.

“I use patience and continue to work hard no matter the circumstance,” Williams said. “Just never giving up. I feel like eventually my time to do what I want to do will come so I just keep my head down and keep working.”