Steelers 2-a-days: Tough for Tanner Morgan to be more than QB4, Tanner Muse a hybrid ILB

Editor’s note: From the end of minicamp through the day the team reports to training camp at Saint Vincent College, the Trib will be running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, assessing each player’s outlook for the 2023 season. The breakdown will go through the roster in mostly alphabetical order, (at least) two per day, between June 16 and July 26. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.

QB TANNER MORGAN

Experience: Rookie

Contract status: $758,333 cap hit if he makes the team in 2023

2023 outlook: When Morgan took to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex practice fields for rookie minicamp, it seemed as if he had (the admittedly very early) inside track to be a longterm No. 2 quarterback for the Steelers. After all, he had been given the biggest signing bonus ($25,000) of any of the Steelers 2023 undrafted free agents, of course a strong indication that he was coveted. Additionally, Morgan was one of only three quarterbacks on the 90-man roster, and the lone other reserve (Mitch Trubisky) was in the final year of a contract.

The outlook, though, for Morgan changed quickly after rookie minicamp ended. First, it was the announcement that Mason Rudolph had re-signed with the Steelers. That virtually assured Rudolph was penned in as the QB3 for 2023. A few days later, Trubisky signed a two-year extension.

All of a sudden, Morgan’s path to a future in the organization became a whole lot more muddled. Morgan would seem to need to have a strong training camp to stick with the Steelers beyond the end of the preseason. And even if he did, he’d have a difficult route to scale Trubisky in ensuing years.

Morgan (6-2, 215) was a five-year starter in the Big Ten, memorably beating Penn State in a November 2019 showdown of undefeateds. But he never was considered too significant of a draft prospect, and it seems as if his ceiling is as a QB2 or QB3 for a team. Time will tell if it can be with the Steelers.

Three weeks into organized team activities and after dozens of reps next to Tanner Muse in the middle of the #Steelers defense — and linebacking corps — Elandon Roberts was informed that Muse’s background is at safety. https://t.co/QIXOseqH9V

— Tribune-Review Sports (@TribSports) June 11, 2023

ILB TANNER MUSE

Experience: 23 games the past two seasons for Seattle

Contract status: $1.01 million cap hit on a one-year deal in 2023

2023 outlook: Muse (6-2, 227) was a three-year starting safety at Clemson who won two national championship rings and was a 2019 third-team All American. He was a third-round pick the following year, but he never played a down for the Las Vegas Raiders. Muse latched on with the Seattle Seahawks, mostly in a special-teams role, and appeared each of their past 22 games since late in the 2021 season, including starting and playing a career-high 68% of Seattle’s defensive snaps in the playoff loss in San Francisco.

But the Seahawks let him go, leaving Muse available for the Steelers. It’s most likely they envision Muse mostly as a “core four” special teamer, especially in light of the Steelers lost many of those who held those duties last season (Derek Watt, Marcus Allen, Benny Snell, Jamir Jones).

But Muse also could jockey for a role on defense, particularly in passing situations. He was part of a near-total offseason makeover of the inside linebackers corps. Elandon Roberts and Cole Holcomb were also signed – but they have backgrounds more suited to stuff the run. While the Steelers’ plan for passing downs most likely is Keanu Neal as a third safety/hybrid linebacker, that is a role Muse would be perfect for, too.

But even if that never materializes, Muse would seem to fit in nicely on special teams coordinator Danny Smith’s units.

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