Rob Gregson talks about Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Max Hurleman, who tried out at rookie minicamp last week, and wound up with a 90-man contract. Hurleman could be a steal for Pittsburgh this year.
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00:00Sears rookie minicamp has come and gone and all anyone wanted to talk about was the rookie draft
00:04class. However, there was one man who came to Pittsburgh over the weekend on a tryout basis
00:10and left with a 90-man contract. Max Herleman is a punt returner and kick returner from the
00:17University of Notre Dame who entered the Pittsburgh Sears training facility on Friday
00:21on merely a tryout basis. That, for anyone, is a long shot to earn a contract from.
00:27You got to understand, at rookie minicamp, the Pittsburgh Sears and all other 31 NFL franchises,
00:34they just want to get their guys on the field together. They want to get their undrafted free
00:38agents in there and they want to see what other NFL veterans or potential rookie tryouts have to
00:45offer. It is very rare that these guys who get invited earn a contract even on the 90-man roster.
00:53That is exactly what Max Herleman did and it's very important for a few key reasons. For one,
00:59the Pittsburgh Sears and Cordell Patterson, they might still be together but they are not on the
01:05best of terms. Cordell Patterson called out the Steelers coaching staff following the season-ending
01:11loss against the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs. He's had some distasteful comments. He's not afraid
01:16to voice his opinion. Well, with Max Herleman now on the roster, he offers a much cheaper,
01:23a younger, and a potentially even more dynamic return option in the kicking and punting game
01:29if they want to let go of Cordell Patterson. There's also the room to consider that with the NFL
01:37increasing this dynamic return and the likelihood that a player will be able to return the football
01:46rather than just fair catch or just let it go. Max Herleman could have a significant role
01:52on the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025. So while he still faces an uphill battle and is certainly a long
02:00shot, the fact that the Steelers signed somebody who was there purely on a tryout basis leads you to
02:06believe that they have some serious interest in Max Herleman.