Undrafted rookie WR Rico Bussey out to prove he is not a mere 1-day camp darling

Mike Tomlin might not want to unnecessarily discuss rookie Rico Bussey. But the fans on hand at Thursday’s Pittsburgh Steelers practice probably do.

One week into training camp, the wide receiver is an early candidates as the annual “camp darling” that gets latched on to during most Steelers preseasons. Thursday’s practice is where he gained notice, making two long catches along the sidelines in team drills and two catches in a practice-ending 2-minute drill simulation — the second such reception ending the day’s work for the team when a wide open Bussey caught a “touchdown” of about 25 yards from Dwayne Haskins.

For his efforts, Bussey was the chosen player made available to media post-practice during what is limited interview opportunities because of covid protocols.

World-Famous* "Inside The Ropes"**--

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Typically loathe to pump the proverbial tires of a rookie, Tomlin didn’t take the bait when asked about Bussey afterward.

“He made a play or two,” Tomlin said with a virtual shrug, before adding a literal one. “But (fellow undrafted rookie receiver Matthew Sexton) made a play or two the other day. You guys didn’t call Sexton over.”

Bussey wasn’t much more verbally expansive during his 3½ minutes with reporters.

“I went into the hole (of the zone in the defense),” Bussey said of his practice-punctuating score, “and Dwayne found me.”

Did he have a strong practice otherwise?

“Yes, sir.”

Was that about as wide open as one can get?

“Yes, sir.”

The 6-0, 186-pound Bussey played the University of Hawaii in 2020 after spending his first four seasons of college at North Texas. He got onto NFL scouts’ radar with 19 touchdowns in 25 games over the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

But Bussey suffered a torn ACL in 2019. Scouts weren’t convinced he regained his speed and quickness once he went to Hawaii. Bussey, though, said there was a reason he wasn’t as sharp last fall.

“I was rehabbing,” he said, “and then covid hit (in the spring of 2020). So all my strength and conditioning kind of got shut down.

“But I am good now.”

Still, even if Thursday wasn’t a mere aberration — a one-day camp standout like scores before him who never are heard from again — Bussey has quite the uphill climb to stick with the Steelers. He is one of 11 wide receivers on the camp roster, one of three undrafted rookies (joining Sexton and Isaiah McKoy).

At very most, the Steelers will keep six wide receivers on the 53-man roster (and maybe only five). They’ll hold, if history is any indication, two on the practice squad. Four veterans are locks for roster spots, and it would be a shock if Ray-Ray McCloud wasn’t a fifth.

Sexton, McKoy and first-year receivers Tyler Simmons and Cody White have similarly popped at times to onlookers, just as Bussey has.

Bussey, though, did it in front of fans. Named “Rico” after his father, Bussey is undeterred by the odds stacked against him.

“I love it,” he said of the pro-level competition he’s facing in camp. “I didn’t really play at a big school, so it’s nice to play against better players who are better competition.

“What’s the hope?” Bussey said, repeating a question to him about his goals for camp. “Make the team and contribute however I can contribute.”

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