Steelers 2-a-days: Can Devlin Hodges make ‘Duck,’ Season 2? John Houston an intriguing UDFA

Editor’s note: Leading up to a unique Pittsburgh Steelers training camp staged at Heinz Field this year, the Tribune-Review will be running through the team’s 90-man roster, assessing each player’s outlook for the 2020 season. The breakdown will go through the roster, in mostly alphabetical order, two per day, between June 9 and July 23, a day originally planned to be reporting day for players to camp. (Contract data courtesy spotrac.com)

QB DEVLIN HODGES

Experience: 2nd season

Contract status: $675,000 cap hit in 2020, will be exclusive-rights free agent in 2021

2020 outlook: The Steelers of 2019 could be remembered as the Season Without Ben, the Season of T.J., the Season of Minkah or the Season of the Takeaway. But it also will always be looked back upon as Duck Season. “Duck” Hodges started six games as an undrafted rookie from an FCS school (Samford) who made the training-camp roster as a tryout at rookie camp. By the time he directed the Steelers to a win at Arizona on Dec. 8, he was a Pittsburgh phenomenon. It all crashed down to earth, though, with a 39.6 passer rating over three consecutive losses to close the season.

Bottom line: Hodges started the season finale, but he enters this training camp with a goal of holding on to the No. 3 spot on the depth chart. At best, with a strong camp and if Mason Rudolph struggles, Hodges could ascend to No. 2. Former college star J.T. Barrett and former first-round pick Paxton Lynch will push for Hodges’ spot, though.

Not a bad time for John Houston to make his first big-time play at #USC. pic.twitter.com/Bi0EnUpJtc

— Michael Castillo (@MichaelCastFS) September 18, 2016

ILB JOHN HOUSTON

Experience: Rookie

Contract status: $612,500 cap hit in 2020 as part of three-year entry contract

2020 outlook: Houston was a highly recruited prospect who projected as a future NFL player when he signed with USC in 2015. Although he was a three-year starter and had what anyone would be happy with for a college career, Houston was not a Trojans superstar and went undrafted. He will be fighting for a spot on either the active roster or practice squad during training camp, with the latter being the more likely outcome as a rookie.

Bottom line: The Steelers are thin at inside linebacker, and they did not draft a player at that position. Houston and Mississippi State’s Leo Lewis were two of the top players at that position who were not drafted, so the Steelers scooped them up in the hopes at least one can show the talent that made them blue-chip recruits can translate into breaking into the NFL.

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