Exit Meeting: S Sebastian Castro

Experience: 1 Year

The sole rookie college free agent who stuck, Sebastian Castro, gives the Steelers an intriguing young safety to develop. Coming out of Iowa, where he teamed with Kaleb Johnson and Yahya Black, he matches the Steelers’ desired temperament. As much as he might inspire the imagination, however, he is already on the roster bubble.

The Steelers lost Castro for most of last season. Signed to the practice squad, the Buccaneers poached him at the end of September. There, he played in one game, logging 6 special teams snaps and registering two tackles. They waived him on November 8, however, and the Steelers claimed him back.

From November 10 on, Sebastian Castro spent the rest of the season on the 53-man roster.

Back in Pittsburgh, he played eight games for the Steelers, logging 72 snaps on special teams. While he only made one tackle during that time, he showed his potential as a future core special teamer. And if he makes the team this year, that is what Castro’s job will be.

The Steelers currently have a top-four of Jalen Ramsey, DeShon Elliott, Jaquan Brisker, and Darnell Savage at safety. They will keep a fifth if he contributes on special teams, which is Sebastian Castro’s meal ticket. But he came into the NFL fully aware of that, so none of this is surprising.

Of course, with the coaching staff that scouted and rostered him gone, he is in a tough spot. Life in the NFL moves fast, and last year’s draft class is old news. The Buccaneers probably had a scout who really liked him, and they decided to poach him. But they’ll have a fresh crop of players who are their favorites come September. If Sebastian Castro doesn’t stick with the Steelers, he may not find another team easily.

And to think that, after the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade, some people were even talking about Castro possibly starting.

The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves licking their wounds after yet another early playoff exit. This is a repeated pattern for the organization, but with a major change coming. As the Steelers conduct their own exit meetings, we will go down the roster conducting our own. Who should stay, and who should go, and how? Who should expect a bigger role next season, and who might deserve a new contract? The resignation of Mike Tomlin makes those questions much more difficult to answer, but much more important. We’ll explore those questions and more in these articles, part of an annual series.