Undrafted rookie John Rhys Plumlee, signed as quarterback in April, had done everything but play his position in the stadium. He returned kicks and punts, ran down the field on the punt team, took on the role of wide receiver in camp and did everything the team asked of him.
He got his chance to play quarterback in the final game of the season on Saturday. Russell Wilson couldn’t have been happier.
Speaking to reporters after the team’s final game of the season, Wilson praised the work of all of the Steelers’ quarterbacks.
“I thought our other guys were good too. I thought Justin (Fields) was good. I thought Kyle (Allen) and JR were good,” Wilson said of Plumlee, via the team’s YouTube channel. “It was good to see JR get in there. He got a chance to get in the game, which was great. This guy does kickoff returns, punt returns, does all the different things and plays quarterback as well. So that was cool to see.”
Overall, the Steelers didn’t throw the ball much on a day when the Lions dominated time of possession and beat Pittsburgh 74-43. But all four quarterbacks were effective, combining to complete 11 of 15 passes for 137 yards. Plumlee entered the game last, his first appearances at quarterback coming in the team’s three preseason games. He made his quarterback debut immediately after returning a kickoff 38 yards to gain great field position at the Steelers’ 44. He may be the first post-merger quarterback to return a kickoff and play quarterback in consecutive snaps.
Once in the lineup, he finished the game 3 of 4 passing for 32 yards. But even that solid stat is deceptive, as a 4th-and-2 conversion deep down the field to WR Quez Watkins was negated by an ineligible man-in-the-field penalty against OG Joey Fisher.
After Fisher made a false start on the replay, Pittsburgh decided to punt. Detroit ran out the clock and ended the game.
Although the sample size is small, John Rhys Plumlee managed the huddle well. He lined up players in the right spot and at one point told WR Jaray Jenkins where to go. He also got in and out of the huddle with no issues, even though the fourth quarter of a season finale might be the quietest environment of a season. Plumlee didn’t hesitate with the football, hitting Jenkins up the middle for 17 yards and laying a slant to Watkins for 10 yards.
Fields expressed a similar opinion to Wilson.
“It was awesome,” Fields told Steelers.com’s Missi Matthews after the game that Plumlee got to play quarterback. “He’s one of the hardest workers, not just on the team, but in the room. He returned the kick and then came into our offense, did his thing and spun around a little bit. I was happy to see him do that today.”
Plumlee’s chances of making the 53-man roster are slim. Experienced Kyle Allen will play as the Steelers’ third quarterback, as the team trusts his experience more than Plumlee’s youth. But given how hard he’s worked and what he can offer the team, Plumlee has a good chance of making the practice squad. There he can help the scout team when needed, including mimicking mobile quarterbacks on opposing teams.
Tuesday will be a difficult day as the Steelers and the rest of the NFL must trim their roster down to 53 players. But assuming Plumlee clears the waivers list, he should return to Pittsburgh and do his part to prepare the team for the Atlanta Falcons.
