New Steelers DB Grayland Arnold Nearly Joined Team Last Year
The Pittsburgh Steelers almost signed former Texans defensive back Grayland Arnold last season before a push from Houston.
The Pittsburgh Steelers added two new defensive backs this week. A former Steeler, Cam Sutton, made big-time news on Wednesday when he re-signed with the team after a year away in Detroit. But on the same day, the Steelers inked Grayland Arnold, a veteran who has been around the block. A former Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans player, Arnold has played safety and in the slot before.
With the questions about what is happening in the slot, it remains essential to continue adding guys who will compete for that role. Arnold brings that versatility. Last season, Arnold said that he almost joined the Steelers. However, a last-minute push from the Texans to keep him around was successful, even after he verbally agreed to sign with Pittsburgh.
“I am here for whatever coach might need me to do, wherever,” Arnold told TribLive. “That’s how I built my career, just being a guy who is coachable and willing to do any job, whether its special teams or inside or outside. Whatever the coach needs and whatever the team needs to win,”
Arnold’s connection to the Steelers is assistant general manager Andy Weidl, who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Baylor while he was with the Eagles. He played most of his snaps in the slot last year, including in the Texans’ big win over the Steelers, where Arnold racked up six tackles and one for a loss.
With the slot cornerback battle still up for grabs, Arnold gets thrown into a competition with Josiah Scott, Beanie Bishop, and Thomas Graham. Sutton feels like a lock, but with a possible suspension looming and the possibility that the team splits up the slot cornerback role, the rest of the players are still competing in that each day this Summer to make the 53-man roster.
Read This Next
