Steelers Sign WR/Return Man Ray-Ray McCloud
The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing free agent wide receiver and returner Ray-Ray McCloud.
McCloud was one of four players to receive workouts from the Steelers on Monday, with DeAndrew White, Jermaine Grace and Rashaan Gaulden also taking part.
McCloud, a sixth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, spent a full year in Buffalo before eventually being released in 2019. McCloud spent a short amount of time in Carolina before heading back to Buffalo in October. McCloud spent duties on the practice squad as a receiver and scout team quarterback for the Bills last season. He was waived on July 27 of this year prior to signing with Pittsburgh.
Although McCloud only has five receptions to his name, he looks to make Pittsburgh's final roster as a key special teams contributor. Here is Bleacher Report's Matt Miller's scouting report on McCloud heading into the 2018 NFL Draft:
"Clemson routinely produces top-tier NFL receivers. Unfortunately, Ray-Ray McCloud is unlikely to follow in some of the former Tigers' footsteps. Despite a highly productive high school career, McCloud has struggled to find a specific position at the collegiate level, which has clearly stunted his development. The versatility and special teams experience will be what McCloud relies on as he tries to compete for a practice squad position on a team with an innovative offensive coordinator."
In total, McCloud has played sixteen games through his first two seasons. He presents himself as a young playmaker in the special teams facet of the game, and while he may not seriously contribute to the receiving corps should he make the team, head coach Mike Tomlin and the rest of the staff obviously liked what they saw during his workout earlier this week.
The Steelers also released wide receiver Saeed Blacknall to create roster space.
Donnie Druin is a Staff Writer with AllSteelers. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
