LATROBE — The Pittsburgh Steelers signed former Pro Bowl kick returner Eddie Drummond on Thursday to help bolster what has been a weak special teams unit.
Drummond, who grew up in Pittsburgh and attended Penn State, was a Pro Bowl selection as a member of the Detroit Lions after the 2004 season, when he returned two punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns.
“He’s a return man that has some track record and he has a background in other areas, be it as a gunner or covering kicks,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “He’s shown he’s capable of doing that and he’s had a nice career doing that.”
Offensive tackle Jason Capizzi, who had a foot injury that might require surgery, reached an injury settlement with the team and was released to make room on the roster. Capizzi grew up in suburban Pittsburgh and attended Pitt for a year before transferring to IUP.
Drummond played for the Kansas City Chiefs last season after spending the first five seasons of his career with Detroit. He returned a punt for a touchdown during each of his first two seasons in the NFL, but has not scored in the past three seasons.
Drummond, who has played on kick and punt coverage teams as well, said he also received interest from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills.
“I honestly think I’m peaking right now as far as my career goes, and I feel better than I do when I had my Pro Bowl year,” Drummond said. “This is a good situation for me to be a part of.”
The Steelers released veteran return man Allen Rossum in the offseason and were projecting a multiplayer battle for the punt and kickoff return jobs.
Drummond has caught only four career passes for seven yards in 64 games and is one of 11 wide receivers on the Steelers’ camp roster.
Starter Santonio Holmes, third-year receiver Willie Reid, specialist Jeremy Bloom and rookie running back Rashard Mendenhall are among those expected to compete with Drummond for punt and kick returning duties.
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