Steelers rookie Eli Heidenreich reveals he was minutes from signing with the Buccaneers

The Steelers’ 2026 draft weekend swing turned into a full-circle story for rookie Eli Heidenreich, but it nearly followed a different path. Heidenreich, selected by Pittsburgh in the seventh round with the 230th overall pick, described how he had already lined up an undrafted free-agent plan with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, setting the stage for a last-minute change after the Steelers reached out.

Heidenreich’s draft profile is built around flexibility. At Navy, he played multiple roles on offense, and by the time he was drafted he was known as a running back/wide receiver type, a “do-it” offensive player whose versatility can translate into more than one job description at the pro level. That matters for Pittsburgh because seventh-round picks often have to do more than one thing well to earn routine snaps on a 53-man roster, especially on offense and in special teams work.

The geographic twist is also a storyline in itself. Heidenreich is from the Pittsburgh area and attended Mt. Lebanon High School, roughly close to where Pittsburgh’s offseason attention is focused. After the Steelers selected him, his hometown connection helped shape one of the noticeable crowd moments of the draft weekend. But he said the emotional script could have changed before draft conclusion, when negotiations were still active for players who might not be drafted.

In an appearance associated with the Steelers rookie’s draft reflections, Heidenreich said his agent had been talking to Tampa Bay and that he had agreed he would sign with the Buccaneers in “preferred free agency.” He described being in a settled state when the phone call came, and he connected the moment directly to the Steelers’ personnel leadership, explaining that he picked up and learned it was Pittsburgh making its move. The reported details underscore how quickly Day 3 priorities can flip, even for players who think they have a preferred landing spot.

The interest from Tampa Bay was not abstract in Heidenreich’s case. Reporting connected to the story notes he averaged 11.3 yards per touch during his time at Navy, a productivity marker that helps explain why NFL teams would keep his name close even late in the draft. With Heidenreich, the tactical fit is not only about raw playmaking, but also about how coaches can deploy someone comfortable moving between positions in a single week.

For the Steelers, the question now is what he becomes in camp. The team’s interest in him centers on a blend of roles: offense, where his versatility gives Pittsburgh options, and special teams, where a late-round rookie can accelerate his path to meaningful snaps. It is also worth noting that while Heidenreich is a hometown pick, he still has to earn his place through performance once the offseason program turns into evaluation on the field.

What to watch next is how Pittsburgh uses Heidenreich in training camp situations that reveal the real depth chart plan. If he separates early in special teams reps and shows a comfort level in run routes, motion alignments, or gadget-type looks, his draft-day storyline will turn into something more practical: a rookie contribution path that does not depend solely on offensive opportunity. If he struggles to find repeatable production, the same versatility that brought him into the conversation could just as easily become a reason he remains a depth-and-development piece for much of the season.

Heidenreich’s nearly signed-with-Tampa moment is a reminder of how thin the margin can be between two franchises on draft weekend. Even with a plan in hand, the NFL’s late-round ecosystem moves fast, and Pittsburgh’s selection ultimately redirected the draft-day emotions that come with a hometown call. The Steelers now get to see whether that “nearly” ends up being the footnote to a quick start, or just the preface to a longer learning curve in the AFC North.