Kansas City Chiefs practice squad quarterback and 2022 seventh-round draft pick Chris Oladokun explained why he's somewhat thankful he was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers in August of that year.
"[Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin] was very transparent with me," Oladokun explained during a recent appearance on the "Stuck In My Thoughts" podcast, per Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot. "When I got cut, giving me an opportunity to even cut me earlier than the last cut of the last preseason game just so I could find another opportunity. That was a blessing in disguise. I'll always respect and love coach Tomlin for that. Because he really did look out for me in terms of that."
Many questioned why the Steelers spent a seventh-round choice on Oladokun shortly after they landed signal-caller Kenny Pickett in the first round of that year's draft. After all, Pittsburgh also had free-agent signing Mitchell Trubisky and career backup Mason Rudolph on the roster at that time.
None of those four quarterbacks are with the Steelers this summer.
"I didn't even get to play in the preseason," Oladokun recalled about his Pittsburgh tenure that lasted only a handful of months. "That was tough for me but at the same time, I understood we had drafted Kenny in the first round. We had two good veteran backups as well so they were trying to figure out that situation."
While the Steelers are still trying to figure out their quarterback situation, Oladokun spent the majority of the past two campaigns on Kansas City's practice squad. He indicated the Chiefs had their eyes on him even before he was shown the door by the Steelers.
"Legit, I got cut and before I even got to my hotel, I was on the phone with the Chiefs," Oladokun said during the podcast.
Oladokun likely won't take a meaningful snap for the Chiefs anytime soon with veteran Carson Wentz on track to serve as Patrick Mahomes' backup this season. Nevertheless, Oladokun sharing how Pittsburgh did right by him two summers ago serves as a reminder of why so many within the NFL respect the Steelers as a top-tier organization.
