Just-Released Pro Bowl WR/KR Could Be Steelers Fit
The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to release wide receiver and Pro Bowl kickoff returner Devin Duvernay, according to a report by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, and Duvernay have interest for the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency.
Duvernay, 27, spent just one season with the Jaguars, and did not play much as a wide receiver, earning just 16 targets and making 11 catches for 79 yards. A former third-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2020 out of Texas, Duvernay has had bigger impacts in the receiving game in the past. In 2022, he caught 37 passes in Baltimore for 407 yards and three touchdowns.
But Duvernay has primarily made his money in the NFL as a kickoff returner. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022 with the Ravens, and was an All-Pro in 2021, when he averaged 24.1 yards per return. His best season was as a rookie in 2020, when he averaged 27.5 yards per return and had a 93-yard touchdown. He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown in 2022.
Last season with the Jaguars, Duvernay averaged 25.1 yards per return on 14 kickoffs. He finished 22nd in the NFL in kickoff return average, but that was significantly better than the 21.8 yards per return that primary Steelers returner Cordarrelle Patterson averaged.
Patterson is set to earn $2.8 million in 2025 and is a potential salary cap casualty as the Steelers enter the start of the new league year.
Jaylen Warren, the Steelers’ other kickoff returner, averaged 25.2 yards per return, but appears set to become the team’s starting running back with Najee Harris headed into free agency.
The Steelers need significant depth at wide receiver, with only George Pickens, Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson currently under contract to return from the 2024 team.
Duvernay has also worked on kickoff and punt coverage units at various points in his career.
The Jaguars have not yet officially released Duvernay, and must do so before teams, including the Steelers, can contact him.