Former 4th-round pick Renell Wren jockeys to be part of 2023 Steelers defensive line

Not bad work if you can get it: a reported $207,000 for about 6 seconds on the clock.

But that wasn’t necessarily what Renell Wren wanted out of the 2022 NFL season.

A defensive tackle who entered the league as a fourth-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019, Wren spent all but six days of this past regular season on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad. By the end of it, though, Wren had earned “call-ups” for the Steelers’ final two games.

In those wins against division rivals Baltimore and Cleveland, though, Wren was summoned onto the field briefly.

How briefly? Try, one snap.

Still, Wren came away from it appreciating the season spent with the Steelers. And considering they re-signed him to a reserve/futures deal for 2023, the Steelers liked what they saw from Wren over his 50-plus practices with them.

“It’s definitely been a patience game,” Wren said after his Steelers debut — that one snap — in a dramatic Jan. 1 win at the Ravens. “The coaches and everybody emphasized that being patient until the right time, and it happened. And I was definitely grateful for them trusting me, coming from a different organization, and just knowing their defense and how they go about things.

“I didn’t receive a lot of reps in the game, but it definitely humbled me to have earned the trust they have for me to be able to be on the field.”

Yr 4 ✅ In The Books
Thank You God. #G2G #SteelersNation #Year4 pic.twitter.com/mfx4MGreX0

— Renell A. Wren ???? #G2G † (@Renell_Wren) January 11, 2023

After being part of the final preseason cuts by the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, Wren was added to the Steelers’ practice squad and earned the practice-squad salary for 15 weeks of this season (the Steelers released him for a week in November). He earned the prorated minimum veteran salary for the final two weeks when he was activated against a pair of run-first opponents (the $207,000 earned is via overthecap.com).

The one snap against Baltimore represented only the second regular-season game Wren had appeared in since he suffered a hip injury December 2019. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Wren had appeared in 11 of the Bengals’ 13 games to that point.

A quadriceps injury during the 2020 training camp cost Wren all of that season. Then, Wren spent the entirety of the 2021 season on Cincinnati’s practice squad, earning a call-up for the regular-season finale. Wren joined the Eagles last spring.

For the Steelers, Wren is a 27-year-old without much wear and tear looking for a spot on a defensive line that is in a degree of transition. Stephon Tuitt retired last summer, and three other veteran contributors (Larry Ogunjobi, Chris Wormley and Tyson Alualu) are scheduled for unrestricted free agency.

Could Wren be part of the rotation this coming season?

“I definitely feel comfortable here,” he said. “The scheme that we run here, I feel comfortable with that, and I just want to contribute and get on the field as much as I can.”

Thank You God. †#VictoryMonday #SundayNightFootball pic.twitter.com/PGkxGnhmIj

— Renell A. Wren ???? #G2G † (@Renell_Wren) January 2, 2023

Wren said this stint with the Steelers is the first time he has played in a 3-4 scheme, though functionally the Steelers most often deploy two interior defensive linemen for a majority of their plays. Depending on whether 2022 rookie DeMarvin Leal bulks up to play on the inside more or the Steelers prefer to deploy him as more of an edge defender, Wren could be in the mix, along with Montravius Adams, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Jonathan Marshall and any newcomers to the organization (or aforementioned free agents who re-sign) as complements to star defensive lineman Cameron Heyward.

“Most definitely, I feel like I can be part of the future here,” Wren said. “I talk to (general manager Omar Khan) and (coach Mike Tomlin) here and there, to see my progression, and regularly meet with (defensive line coach Karl Dunbar),” Wren said. “Everything is coming to me here, and I feel like I can be a good fit.”

Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.