Steelers Waive Do-It-All Weapon John Rhys Plumlee

The Pittsburgh Steelers have waived rookie quarterback John Rhys Plumlee.

Plumlee is a versatile athlete that the Steelers moved all over the field during training camp and the preseason, and should be considered a strong option for the team’s practice squad, if he clears waivers.

Plumlee, an undrafted rookie out of UCF, worked as the team’s fourth-string quarterback throughout OTAs, minicamp, training camp and the preseason. He attempted four passes, all in the Week 3 preseason game against the Detroit Lions on Saturday, and competed three of them for 32 yards. He also had one carry for four yards.

Plumlee was a distant fourth in the team’s quarterback pecking order behind Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen. However, the Steelers used Plumlee in many other ways. 

In addition to his quarterback play, Plumlee also worked at wide receiver, kick returner, punt returner, and covered kickoffs and punts. In the preseason, he led the team with six kickoff returns for 145 yards. He also returned two punts for 16 yards and one special teams tackle.

A two-sport athlete, Plumlee played both football and baseball, where he was a centerfielder, for Ole Miss, before transferring to UCF in 2022. With the Knights, he had his two best collegiate seasons, throwing for 2,586 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2022 and 2,271 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023. He signed with the Steelers after going unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft this April.