The Pittsburgh Steelers 2016 off season roster continues to take shape, as the Steelers signed guard Cole Manhart to futures contract.
Cole Manhart started for three years at Nebreaska-Kearney playing left tackle and serving as a team captin. His play during both his junior and senior years was good enough to earn him AFCA All-American honors.
Unfortunately, Cole Manhart’s phone did not ring during the 2015 NFL draft, but the Philadelphia Eagles did resign him as an undrafted rookie free agent. However, as happens too often, Manhart’s dreams of flying with the Eagles never saw daylight, as Philadelphia cut him before training camp even begun.
He caught on in New Orleans, and spent time in training camp with the Saints, but was not good enough to make the final cut. He spent most of 2015 out of football, but the Oakland Raiders signed him to their practice squad at the tail end of the 2015 season. He was not asked back.
- Cole Manhart’s checkered pedigree suggests he is little more than a training camp body, however the Steelers offensive line is bound to experience turnover between 2015 and 2016.
Starters Ramon Foster and Kelvin Beachum are set to become free agents. The Steelers had planned on resigning Beachum and moving him to guard, but at Super Bowl 50 Kelvin Beachum ruled out a move to guard for the Steelers or any NFL team.
Regardless of anything else that happens at the top of the depth chart, Col Manhart can rest assured that if he shows himself worthy of protecting Ben Roethlisberger and/or he’s adept at opening holes for Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams, Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin, Todd Haley and Mike Munchak will give him a fair shake.
