Steelers All 90: William Dunkle Fueled to Push for Roster Spot

For a lot of players in the NFL, they just want an opportunity. That is what William ‘Bill’ Dunkle is looking for on the Steelers roster. Signed during training camp after the team overhauled its depth at the offensive line position, Dunkle stayed on the practice squad all season, earning a future’s contract at the end of the season.

Dunkle, 23, is a self-described road grader of an offensive lineman. He plays only guard, but the team’s motto of nastiness fits him perfectly. The tape at San Diego State really showcases what Dunkle can do at his best, and he showed enough in the preseason to get the attention of the coaching staff and front office in Pittsburgh. Dunkle was selected as an All-American in 2021 by Pro Football Network but never felt a ton of draft love, and that fueled him.

“You see some guys with similar accolades get more love than you,” Dunkle said. “That fuels you for sure. I just feel like you have to have more heart.”

Being on the practice squad, it’s hard to fully live in an NFL environment while trying to fight for a job week in and week out. Despite the team adding a lot of players to the interior offensive line room, Dunkle is looking to make the practice squad at least again.

A second year player out of San Diego State, Dunkle’s already experienced being released twice in his career. It’s not something he wants to experience again moving forward, but the deep lineup at guard the Steelers boast will make it tough to crack through for any newcomers.

Dunkle trained with Duke Manyweather at OL Masterminds in Texas, which weirdly enough helped a player from San Diego get ready for conditions in Pittsburgh. While Dunkle trained down there in 2022, Texas was hit by a multi-day snowstorm. As a result, Dunkle felt like he could go to any city after that.

“Actually, when I was down in Texas, it snowed for like three or four days,” Dunkle said. “I didn’t expect that from Texas. But I’m fine with that. The cold doesn’t bother me.”

68 • William Dunkle, Guard, San Diego State
6-foot-5, 330 pounds, 23 years old, 1st Season

Acquired: The Steelers signed Dunkle as a free agent on Aug. 16 last season after he was an early cut by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Career: Dunkle signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent right after the 2022 NFL Draft, but was released on Aug. 14 as the roster was trimmed for 90 to 85 players. Dunkle caught on with the Steelers and stuck around until the final cuts. He was waived on Aug. 30, but signed to the practice squad the next day. Dunkle remained on the Steelers practice squad throughout the entire 2022 season, with appearing in a game.

He played 25 snaps against the New York Giants in the Eagles first preseason game, and then 18 snaps in the Steelers second preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He did not allow a sack and gave up two pressures on 32 pass-block snaps overall.

College: Dunkle was a three-star recruit coming out of Eastlake High School in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista, California that picked San Diego State over nine other offers, including at least one Power Five team.

He redshirted his freshman season in 2018 and then immediately moved into the starting lineup at right guard as a redshirt freshman in 2019. In 2020, Dunkle played in five games, missing three because of COVID-19 contact tracing. As a redshirt junior in 2021, he was named a first-team All-American and first-team All-Mountain West selection.

Salary cap and future: If he makes the 53-man roster, Dunkle will count for $750,000 against the Steelers salary cap in 2023, and he would become an exclusive-rights free agent after the season.

The rest of the 90: