Former Steelers quarterback Tanner Morgan has a homecoming and will sign with the Minnesota Vikings to their practice squad, the team announced on Thursday. Morgan played at the University of Minnesota and was the starter with the Golden Gophers for four seasons.
Morgan, an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota, played in all three preseason games, most extensively in the opener against Tampa Bay, when he saw 21 reps. He finished the preseason 6 of 12 for 32 yards, with no touchdowns, one interception, and was sacked twice. He also ran four times for negative three yards and fumbled twice, though neither was lost.
Morgan worked exclusively behind Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph in the Steelers’ quarterback pecking order that remained unchanged from the first day of OTAs, and at no point throughout camp did the rookie seem to be close to challenging the veterans ahead of him.
A 6-foot-2, 200-pound quarterback, Morgan played six seasons with the Golden Gophers. In 2022, Morgan started eight of the nine games he appeared in. He completed 107-of-160 passes for a career-high 67% of his passes. On his 107 completions, Morgan threw for 1,382 yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions.
His best season was back in 2019 when Morgan started all 13 games for Minnesota and broke school records with 3,253 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. In a game against Purdue, Morgan completed 21-of-22 passes for 396 yards and four touchdown passes. Morgan was named second-team All-Big Ten following the 2019 season.
Morgan can make noise in the NFL on a team’s practice squad. He will join a room with Kirk Cousins, Nick Mullens, and rookie quarterback Jaren Hall out of BYU. This is the first time Morgan has joined a practice squad since the Steelers let him go on final cut-down day. Morgan signed with Pittsburgh due to the culture and a perceived path to the roster.
More must-reads: