Steelers players chirping for Byrd
Published June 26th, 1:38 EDT
by Bo Marchionte
Pittsburgh – It sounded like a borage of pigeons descended upon us while media stood along the sidelines next to a group of Steelers players congratulating rookie Jordan Byrd back to the sidelines after making an impressive catch during minicamp. Echoes of the chirping bird noises by his teammates to celebrate Byrd’s nifty catch.
“Yeah, since I’ve been playing football that’s been my thing (chirps or bird noises),” Byrd said. “A lot of people have been doing that. So, it’s pretty cool to hear it, especially being with the Steelers. It’s really cool. It’s an honor.”
Playing in 58 games at San Diego State, the former Aztecs’ jack-of-all-trades has turned some heads from time to time in his quest to make the 53-man roster. Byrd faces an uphill battle when considering the depth of the receiver position in Pittsburgh. Byrd is a mirror image of Pittsburgh’s fourth round pick from last year in receiver Calvin Austin.
Last year Austin was lost in training camp for the season with an ankle injury and barring any sort of major setbacks by Austin, Byrd faces an almost insurmountable task to unseat him as the No. 1 return specialist on the roster.
Be that as it may Byrd has a special niche not a lot of players can match. I told him respectfully after practice I tagged him as an ‘athlete’ while going through the draft process. After all, he was the first FBS player with at least one rushing, receiving, kick return and punt return touchdown in the same season since Temple’s Isaiah Wright accomplished the feat in 2018.
“Whatever the coaches want me to do, I’m going to do it,” Byrd said. “It’s an honor to play running back, receiver, or returner.”
A speedster with an impressive first step, watching Byrd work through his reps in practice, his second gear and niftiness in space are attributes that can help him stay relevant all the way through camp. If the 53-man roster isn’t in the cards, then a practice squad opportunity might be in play for the undrafted Aztec.
Byrd has managed to escape all defenders to the end zone four times for touchdowns via kick (3) and punt (1) returns since 2020. Returning at least one kick for a touchdown every year since that time. The essence of his game is on special teams where he is electric. The running and receiving aspects are bonuses to his overall game.
“I play with heart,” Byrd said. “I’m not the biggest guy on the field but I play like I’m the biggest dude on the field. Every time I have the ball in my hands, I’m going to try and do something with it. Ninety percent of the time that’s my goal is to score.”
With minicamp behind us, Byrd is going to continue to train and prepare to be in the best shape both mentally and physically for his arrival in Latrobe, Pennsylvania for training camp. With the odds stacked against the undrafted rookie it’s imperative he maximizes this golden opportunity.
Every player has their own story on how they made it to this point. Every year stories about players like Byrd are written in hopes their dreams come to fruition and play in the National Football League. Byrd is a notch better than most when it comes to being a top return specialist prospect. He is gifted in the return game.
If Pittsburgh isn’t Byrd’s first stop and final destination in the NFL. There very well could be other NFL teams interested in kicking the tires on this talented return specialist. That is why his debut in Latrobe is going to be so critical. Remember everyone is watching. All the other 31 NFL teams monitor the best they can who is doing what in camp.
If Byrd flies high in camp, he can keep his teammates chirping songs of his success.
