Amidst the announcement of the Pittsburgh Steelers' initial 53-man roster, there were a few surprises. Most notably, the team carried two punters (to start), as well as holding onto seven cornerbacks after the signing of Desmond King. Perhaps the most shocking move though was the front office moving on from tight end Zach Gentry. With two punters on the roster, it seemed like Gentry could make his way back.
That did not end up being the case. Ultimately, the acquisition of rookie Darnell Washington in the 2023 NFL Draft is what costed Gentry. Still, many believed that the team would carry four tight ends on the roster. While historically unconventional, Connor Heyward also has the versatility to play H-back and even some running back. With just three running backs set to make the squad, it seemed like holding onto Gentry made sense.
As the team began to announce its practice squad, Gentry was nowhere to be found. Instead, the team opted to hold onto Rodney Williams, who had impressive moments of his own throughout the summer. Gentry's best attribute has always been his blocking, something that Washington is even better at. Ultimately, that seems to be why the team moved on from the 2019 fifth-rounder. On Tuesday, just ahead of Week 1, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that Gentry has signed with the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad.
That hurts. Add another to the list of former Steelers players joining a division rival. The Bengals are carrying four tight ends on their active roster, so Gentry could be the next man up. The two sides don't face off until Weeks 12 and 16 this year, which could mean the Steelers see their former backup tight end. Gentry didn't seem to generate much interest on the open market, and he has every right to join whatever team he wants.
In four seasons with the team, Gentry accumulated just 39 catches for 303 yards. In fact, all but one of those catches had come in the last two seasons for the Steelers. After playing just 69 offensive snaps in his first two NFL seasons, he saw a significant uptick in playing time. Between 2021 and 2022, Gentry played 1,050 offensive snaps, which included a career-high 577 this last year.
Will Steelers Miss Gentry's Presence In 2023?
Pro Football Focus wasn't too kind to him though, as he was rated the third-worst tight end in 2022 amongst 73 qualifiers. After a 2021 season in which he graded out pretty well, he took a big step back. That included in the blocking department, which led to just a 48.0 overall grade. Still, his presence will be a loss to the 2023 Steelers tight end room.
Along with his key blocking, the University of Michigan product was an integral part of the locker room. He was quite close with his fellow tight ends, most notably Pat Freiermuth. There's no doubt though, the tight end room is much more talented this season. Unfortunately, this is an official goodbye to the Grillin' N' Chillin' segments with Gentry and Freiermuth.
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