With the 2013 season now over, the Pittsburgh Steelers are starting to expand their offseason roster by signing several players to futures contracts. After re-signing seven of their eight practice squad players earlier in the week to futures deals , the team added a punter and long snapper on Friday as Brad Wing and Bryce Davis were signed.
Wing, who was originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of LSU by the Philadelphia Eagles in April, is easily the most recognizable name on the list. In his two years at LSU, Wing, a former Australian Rules football player, averaged 44.6 yards on 118 punts, a mark that ranks first in school history. 48 of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard line and 39 traveled 50 yards or more.
After spending training camp and the preseason with the Eagles, Wing was released just prior to the start of the 2013 season. The Steelers don’t currently have any other punters under contract for 2014 at this time as veteran Mat McBriar, who was signed midway through the 2013 season, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in March.
Davis was originally signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent out of Central Oklahoma in 2012. He played all four preseason games that year before being waived. Like McBriar, veteran Steelers long snapper Greg Warren will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, so for now, Davis is the only long snapper currently under contract for 2014.
