Tight end Nick Vannett believes he showed Steelers enough to return to team

Five days after he arrived in Pittsburgh, Nick Vannett was in the starting lineup for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He played more than three-quarters of the offensive snaps Sept. 30, not only playing as an in-line tight end but also going in motion, lining up in the backfield and out wide. Vannett even played on special teams that Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“For me to come out and perform,” Vannett said last week, looking back, “I was proud of that under those circumstances that day. And hopefully I can continue to do that here. But that’s out of my control now.”

It is, at least partially. Just 13 weeks after Vannett’s Steelers tenure began, it could have ended with their loss at the Baltimore Ravens. A four-year veteran, Vannett is set for unrestricted free agency.

The 26-year-old fit in to the Steelers locker room and meshed into the offense after what can often feel like a jarring in-season trade. Until the Steelers acquired him for a fifth-round pick, Vannett had been with the Seattle Seahawks since they took him in the third round of the 2016 draft.

Learn a little more about our newly acquired tight end, Nick Vannett.@N_Vannett81 pic.twitter.com/LMq2sR0poX

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 25, 2019

“I didn’t expect it to happen,” Vannett said of the trade. “But after it happened, getting here and hearing they were trying to get me for a couple years now, and then actually them making the move, it made me feel good because it made me feel they wanted me here.”

But will the Steelers want him in 2020 and beyond? Production-wise, it was difficult to evaluate any of the offensive skill players in 2019 because of the loss of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to injury.

An Ohio State alumnus, Vannett ended up with 13 catches on 17 targets for 128 receiving yards and no touchdowns in 13 games with the Steelers. He played slightly fewer than half the team’s offensive snaps and also served on the kickoff coverage and return teams.

“I think despite the stats that all of us had — myself included — despite how we ended up this season, I saw it as a great year for me,” Vannett said. “I definitely learned a lot about myself. Being able to make the switch three weeks into the season isn’t easy for anyone. I traveled across the country about as far away as you could go, moved myself to Pittsburgh and had to focus on football and not really missing a beat.

“Getting right into it and just chipping away, I think it showed me how much of a professional I am. I learned a lot about myself, and I was happy about how I handled it.”

“It’s a great opportunity for me,” Nick Vannett said. “I’m looking forward to it, to prove to my teammates that they can trust me and prove to everybody in this organization that they can rely on me to get the job done.” #Steelers https://t.co/n8Gx33U87R

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) December 13, 2019

The Steelers have decisions to make at tight end, a position they have struggled to fill since the sudden retirement of Heath Miller five years ago. Vannett is a free agent, starter Vance McDonald’s cap hit increases to $7.1 million next season (the Steelers could save almost $6 million by releasing him) and Zach Gentry played just 50 snaps in his rookie season.

The three of them combined for 52 catches for 405 yards this past season.

Vannett believes he at least showed Steelers coaches he can be dependable and display a high football IQ.

General manager Kevin Colbert and coach Mike Tomlin impressed Vannett with their leadership and in how they run the organization. They are a big reason why Vannett wouldn’t mind returning to the Steelers.

“I love being a part of it, and I hope I can continue to be part of this,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s out of my hands and it’s a numbers game and it’s a business, so you have to go with what is the best business decision.”

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