Steelers Open Competition for Final Tight End Spot

PITTSBURGH -- The Steelers have their first two tight ends locked on the roster. Vance McDonald is looking to bounce back in the final year of his contract. Eric Ebron is making an early impression on the offense.

Behind them sits three players competing for the third and final roster spot. According to tight end coach James Daniels, Zach Gentry, Dax Raymond, and Kevin Rader will open up padded practices in competition.

Gentry enters his second season as a former fifth-round pick. Daniels said he sees improvement through camp, but nothing to declare him the third tight end this early.

"We sort of took at last year as a redshirt year for Zach," Daniels said. "We were pleased with the way he approached it, and we think he's improved in all his fundamentals, not just blocking aspect of it but also the pass-catching aspect of it. We expect him to be even better this year."

Until one of the three prove themselves at camp, Daniels will keep the competition open for the third tight end spot.

"Zach's good in what Zach did last year," Daniels said. "We also had Kevin Rader on the practice squad last year, and we got a young man here named Dax Raymond now. These guys are competing. We put it out there up front. They're competing. We're going to see who's the best fit for getting done what we need done in the room."

Raymond came to Pittsburgh as a late signing in June. He played on the Chicago Bears' practice squad after going undrafted last season.

Rader went undrafted in 2018 and signed with the Steelers in 2019. Neither has played on the active roster.

Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.