Two Steelers DBs Help Catapult New Eagles CB
When Josiah Scott landed in Pittsburgh, he had been offered a spot on their practice squad and wanted to grind his way to playing time. That was all going according to plan until one day in practice, Scott suffered an injury that landed him on practice squad injured reserve. He remained around the building until earlier this week when the Eagles, his former team, came calling amid injuries in their secondary. They wanted to sign Scott to their 53-man roster and away from the Steelers. And so, he went back.
Scott only stayed with the Steelers for over a month, but he learned from Patrick Peterson and Minkah Fitzpatrick while around the group. He believes those two have helped him see the game in a different light despite his limited time around them. Now back in Philadelphia, Scott feels he is better equipped to take on the challenges of the NFL.
“My time in Pittsburgh really helped me,” Scott told NJ.com on Thursday. “I had the chance to expand what I already knew about defense and look another vets to see how they go about their business and techniques. I got to watch guys like Minkah and Pat P, who have been doing it for a very long time at a very high level. It gives you perspective and how you want to go about your business moving forward. I feel like it was very informative being there.”
A 5-foot-9, 185-pound defensive back, Scott was a fourth-round pick out of Michigan State by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. He played in six games with the Jags as a rookie, but the following May was traded to the Eagles for Jameson Houston.
With Philly, Scott played in 13 games in 2021, mostly on special teams. He played 171 snaps of special teams and 90 snaps of defense, finishing the season with 12 tackles in all situations, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one quarterback hurry.
His role grew significantly in 2022, as he played in 16 of 17 games and made four starts. He finished the season with 26 tackles, two tackles for a loss, eight passes defended, and two interceptions.
Scott now hopes that the lessons learned from the sages in the Steelers locker room can catapult him to success. He should see plenty of playing time with the injuries around the Eagles defensive backs room. Those instincts and lessons he learned with the Steelers will be tested very early on Sunday when the explosive Dolphins face the Eagles banged-up secondary.
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