Newest Steelers Deon Cain, Kerrith Whyte make instant impact

CINCINNATI — Nine days earlier, each was on the practice squad of a middling team and wondering about their futures.

On Sunday, each played a not-insignificant role in a come-from-behind road victory for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Receiver Deon Cain and running back Kerrith Whyte bonded upon arriving in Pittsburgh last week. The newest Steelers were assigned as roommates, and they share a playmaking background in college that hadn’t shown up at the NFL level.

“The biggest thing we talked about as we were building that rapport was, ‘The first play or whenever you get your chance, we’ve just make the best of it.’

“We kind of executed that (Sunday).”

Cain and Whyte sure did during the Steelers’ 16-10 win against the Bengals. During the first touch each got with the Steelers, Cain and Whyte made a big play: Whyte had a 21-yard gain on a first-quarter run, and Cain had a 35-yard reception midway through the second quarter.

The plays accounted for the second- and third-longest plays for the Steelers and came after just one week of practice and a crash course in the playbook.

“Finding new people and kind of infusing them into our program, I actually got a couple plays from those guys,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “I can’t say enough about Deon Cain and Kerrith Whyte. They didn’t make a lot of plays today, but boy did they put their hand in the pile. We don’t underestimate that, the difficulty of getting on a moving train and being positive contributors to our efforts.”

Cain also drew a pass interference flag on a deep throw that netted the Steelers 26 yards during a fourth-quarter drive that ended in the Chris Boswell field goal that gave the Steelers the lead for good.

Whyte followed his 21-yard run with rushes of 6 and 16 yards on the same possession. He ended the game — his first during the regular season in the NFL — with six carries for 43 yards in addition to a kickoff return for 15 yards.

“I have a lot to give thanks for. I thank God for the opportunity just to be able to play the game,” said Whyte, who was a seventh-round pick of the Chicago Bears seven months ago. “It was truly an honor and a blessing to be out there.”

A speedster from Florida Atlantic, Whyte began the season on the Bears active roster but was waived Sept. 26. After seven weeks on their practice squad, the Steelers plucked him onto their 53-man roster Nov. 16.

The Steelers signed Cain off the Colts practice squad that same day. A key member of Clemson’s national championship team, Cain was projected as a Round 2-3 pick by the NFL’s official website because of his 6-foot-2, 202-pound frame and 4.43-second time in the 40-yard dash.

Cain slipped to the sixth round in 2018, though, and an injury during his rookie preseason landed him on injured reserve. He had four catches in seven games with the Colts last season but was waived Nov. 3.

“(The Steelers) just gave me the opportunity,” Cain said. “My biggest thing was to come in here and execute, and whenever I got my number called, I just tried to keep it going, and I want to just keep it going.”

Who knows what — if anything — Cain and Whyte will bring over the Steelers’ final five games of the season. With Pro Bowlers at receiver (JuJu Smith-Schuster) and running back (James Conner) due back from injury, the opportunities for Cain and Whyte might be limited.

But their contributions Sunday are emblematic for a team that stands at 6-5 despite all its injuries.

“All the things we’ve been through, guys coming in like a merry-go-round, I’m still trying to learn some guys’ names, you know what I mean?” guard David DeCastro said. “It’s the weirdest season that I’ve been a part of, just losing as many guys as we have, some top-notch players, especially on our side of the ball. We’re fighting and enjoying the wins.”

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