Steelers Welcome Two Receivers for Workouts

The Steelers hosted wide receivers Keke Coutee and Dazz Newsome for workouts on Thursday, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. These workouts come on the heels of four other workouts the Steelers hosted yesterday, with cornerbacks coming out of the bye week.

Coutee was a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Texas Tech. The Texans drafted him, and he spent three seasons with the Texans. Following his release in 2021, he joined the Colts, where he would stay through the end of the 2022 season. Coutee spent time with the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins this summer but was released in August and has not found a team since then.

Since coming into the league, Coutee has made ten starts in his NFL career. His best season came in 2020 when he caught 33 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns. In 2022, he played eight games with the Colts but saw just one pass for 20 yards. Over his five years in the NFL, Coutee has posted 966 yards on 85 receptions and four touchdowns.

In his NFL experience, Coutee can return punts and kicks. He only has five career kick returns but has returned 24 punts for 200 yards over two seasons in 2020 and 2022, with 17 of those returns coming last season in Indianapolis. He would offer quality depth for the Steelers if they were looking to fill a practice squad spot.

The Steelers have three wide receivers on the practice squad: Deuce Watts, Denzel Mims, and Dez Fitzpatrick. They have five more on the roster; with Diontae Johnson set to return from injured reserve this week, there could be a cut pending from that group.

In addition to hosting Coutee, Pittsburgh hosted former North Carolina standout Dazz Newsome, who played alongside Dyami Brown and Sam Howell in that Tar Heels offense. Newsome last played with the San Francisco 49ers. He came out in the 2021 NFL Draft and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round. But Newsome did not make the final team after suffering a broken collarbone in OTAs. Newsome joined the Kansas City Chiefs late in 2022 but was released two days after signing. The 49ers then swiped in to sign him. He has just two receptions for 21 yards in his NFL career.

At North Carolina, Newsome was dynamic, leading the team as a junior in 2019 with 1018 yards and ten touchdowns on 72 receptions. During the 2020 season, he would repeat that in limited games with 54 receptions for 684 yards and six touchdowns.