90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – David Perales, La’Mical Perine, George Pickens

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 offseason workouts ended in mid-June. Next up is the team’s annual training camp, which begins at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe in late July. Leading up to the Steelers’ training camp, we’ll be doing a series of posts looking at the team’s offseason roster, three players at a time. This Steelers roster preview, which also includes projections for each player, will be sorted alphabetically by last name for easy followability. This series is expected to include more than 90 players this year, as the team will be able to bring a total of 91 players with them during the offseason due to the team’s international designation being allowed.

The next players we’ll feature before the Steelers’ 2024 training camp are David Perales, La’Mical Perine and George Pickens.

OLB David Perales: Perales was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State last offseason and began the 2023 regular season on the team’s practice squad. During his rookie season, Perales moved in and out of the practice squad several times. He ultimately finished the 2023 season on the Steelers’ practice squad and was quickly signed to a reserve/future contract in January.

Last year, Perales recorded four total tackles and one quarterback hit in the 101 defensive snaps he played during the preseason. He played both outside linebacker positions during the preseason, taking most of his snaps on the right side. He also recorded 20 special teams snaps during the three preseason games, but failed to record any tackles.

Outlook: With Perales on the Steelers’ offseason roster, he is expected to attend his second training camp with the team. The Steelers have quite a bit of competition for Perales this summer, with the most important player being OLB Jeremiah Moon. The former Raven has a good resume on special teams that he brings with him to Pittsburgh, in addition to his regular season experience on the defensive side of the football.

Perales’ path to a spot on the 53-man roster is a tough one this summer, especially if the team ends up keeping just four outside linebackers. To earn a spot on the roster, Perales will need a fantastic training camp and preseason, not just on defense but on special teams as well. In reality, the only way Perales will likely stay in Pittsburgh past the end of the preseason is if he is signed to the practice squad like he was last year.

RB La’Mical Perine: The Steelers signed Perine, a fourth-round draft pick of the New York Jets in 2020, to their offseason roster in late May. His signing followed his release by the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2023, Perine was primarily a member of the Chiefs’ practice squad. However, he was added to their active/inactive roster several times during the 2023 regular season before finally being added to the 53-man roster in late December.

Last season, Perine appeared in several games with the Chiefs, but primarily as a special teams player. He totaled 77 yards on 22 carries and received three passes for another 33 yards. He played just 59 offensive snaps for the Chiefs last season.

In his NFL career, Perine has rushed for 340 yards and two touchdowns on 94 carries. He has also caught 14 passes for 96 yards in his NFL career. In total, Perine has played 283 offensive snaps in the NFL.

Outlook: The Steelers have a very loaded running back roster heading into training camp. This includes Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Paterson. In addition, the Steelers signed another veteran player to their offseason roster in Jonathan Ward. And as if that wasn’t enough, the Steelers also signed undrafted rookie Daijun Edwards from Georgia earlier in the offseason. All of this means that Perine has a tough road ahead of him this summer when it comes to making the 53-man roster.

Unless he suffers multiple injuries this summer, Perine will most likely fight for a spot on the practice squad. Although he has made some appearances on special teams in the NFL, Perine has never been a notable contributor at this stage of his game. We’ll likely see Perine play in some preseason games in August, but otherwise his stay in Pittsburgh could end in early September.

WR George Pickens: The 2023 season was Pickens’ second in the NFL, and the former second-round draft pick from Georgia improved on his first season, recording 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns on 106 attempts. In addition, Pickens recorded three rushing attempts for 18 yards during the 2023 regular season.

In the Steelers’ only playoff game last season, Pickens had five more 50-yard catches with third-string quarterback Mason Rudolph. He added another 15 yards on a rushing attempt in that playoff loss.

Pickens received well-deserved criticism for his performance on a few plays in 2023, one of which was linked to his run blocking performance, or lack thereof. Additionally, there were several moments where it was clear that Pickens was not happy with the way he was being used in the passing game.

Overall, 2023 was a productive season for Pickens, especially considering how dysfunctional the offense was in terms of execution and scheme.

Outlook: In 2024, Pickens is expected to have his best NFL season yet, largely because he will be the first target for passes on offense and can also catch multiple balls downfield. Additionally, the Steelers’ revamped quarterback group now has a veteran in Russell Wilson, who still has more than enough arm strength to occasionally hit Pickens deep.

We all expect Pickens’ route-running skills to get a bit better in 2024. Additionally, we hope to see him more on slants and digs, both short and long, since the team now has a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith and a new quarterback in Wilson, or even Justin Fields should he play a lot.

A solid third NFL season for Pickens in 2024 would open him up to a potential contract extension next summer. He is very motivated to be his best in 2024, and that includes being a reliable run blocker when the game calls for it. Pickens will certainly attract a lot of attention in 2024, but if the Steelers can run the football effectively, the team’s third-year wide receiver should still be able to put up a good number of receptions, yards, and even touchdowns.

Previous posts in this series:

90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Montravius ​​Adams, Kyle Allen, Spencer Anderson
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Grayland Arnold, Calvin Austin III, Anthony Averett
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Kalon Barnes, Tyler Beach, Keeanu Benton
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Beanie Bishop Jr., Chris Boswell, Marquez Callaway
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jack Colletto, Dylan Cook, Jacob Copeland
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – James Daniels, Daijun Edwards, DeShon Elliott
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jalen Elliott, Troy Fautanu, Breiden Fehoko
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Justin Fields, Joey Fisher, Dez Fitzpatrick
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Minkah Fitzpatrick, Zach Frazier, Pat Freiermuth
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Thomas Graham Jr., Devery Hamilton, Anderson Hardy
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Najee Harris, Nate Herbig, Nick Herbig
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Cameron Heyward, Connor Heyward, Alex Highsmith
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Cole Holcomb, Donte Jackson, Van Jefferson
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Jaray Jenkins, Kyron Johnson, Cameron Johnston
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Broderick Jones, Damontae Kazee, Miles Killebrew
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Christian Kuntz, DeMarvin Leal, Logan Lee
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Isaiahh Loudermilk, Dean Lowry, Jonathan Marshall
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Ryan McCollum, Mason McCormick, Nate Meadors
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview series – Scotty Miller, Jeremiah Moon, Dan Moore Jr.
90 in 30: Steelers 2024 training camp preview – Tyler Murray, Larry Ogunjobi, Cordarrelle Patterson