Vannett thrilled to be in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH — Even though he left a 2-1 team that’s already beaten the winless Steelers, Nick Vannett was thrilled to be in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers traded a fifth-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for the tight end, whose head was spinning from the same crash course Minkah Fitzpatrick went through last week: four-hour study session followed the next day by practicing of rudimentary, staple plays, followed by a mob session with reporters.
Still, Vannett was pumped.
“Everyone’s so friendly,” said the 6-6, 261-pounder out of Ohio State. “Just hanging out with the O-linemen, those guys are awesome. And Vance (McDonald) and Zach (Gentry) and all the guys in the tight end room, they’ve been really helpful so far, helping me try to learn and understand the offense. Everyone I talked to has helped me. They were telling me ‘If you need help, just let me know.’
“I just felt the love right away, ever since I walked in the doors (Wednesday). So I’m excited to be here and excited to represent the black and yellow.”
The fans will appreciate him more when he realizes the team colors are black and gold.
And there was one reminder of Pittsburgh that’s still painful: Vannett caught a critical third-and-10 pass over the middle to set up a Seattle touchdown two Sundays ago, and Sean Davis belted him almost simultaneously with the arrival of the ball. Vannett held on.
“I got hit pretty hard,” Vannett said. “Left a pretty good mark on my back. I haven’t met him yet. I remember the next play he smacked our other tight end on the touchdown. But, yeah, I felt that the most, for sure.”
Vannett’s now only a couple of lockers down from Davis, who’s on IR with a shoulder injury. But Vannett already has enough friends on the team. McDonald, who sat out Thursday’s practice with a shoulder injury, helped Vannett between plays at practice, as did quarterback Mason Rudolph, a familiar face.
“We actually trained in the offseason,” Vannett said of Rudolph. “Right after the season last year, I spent probably two, three months with him, throwing with him and working out with him, so I kind of already knew him a little bit and I remember when it was made public, the trade, he hit me up and he was excited. Whenever defense was out there (at practice), I was next to him kind of watching the field with him, trying to get a better feel, having him help me like what I need to do or what I should do on the play. That’s going to continue. I’m just gonna get in the film room with him and keep developing that relationship.”
If you sense excitement from Vannett, the Steelers are feeling the same way. Vannett said that he was told by Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert they’ve been trying to acquire Vannett for “a year or two.”
“They said they were excited,” Vannett added. “They said they loved me coming out of the draft and they’ve been trying to get me since then. Now that they had a chance to they’re finally excited to get me here.”
The Steelers, according to Vannett, tried to finalize a trade during training camp, “but it didn’t work out.” And when Xavier Grimble injured his calf and McDonald injured his shoulder in San Francisco, the Steelers increased their offer to a fifth-round pick, and Seattle Coach Pete Carroll told Vannett, “They made a really good offer and we couldn’t refuse.”
Vannett, 26, is in the final year of his contract, and even though he would probably return a compensatory pick if he were to leave in free agency, he seems a good bet to re-sign.
“I love it,” he said of Pittsburgh. “So far I’ve had a great Day One. Not knowing what to expect but everyone seems genuine and friendly, all the coaches seem awesome. I think it’s going to be a good fit. I’m very excited about it.”
Vannett said he had wondered what it would be like to play for the Steelers ever since he was a kid.
“It’s such a great opportunity for tight ends,” he said. “Ever since the Heath Miller days, when I was in high school and middle school and I was watching him thrive in this offense, watching Vance thrive, and Jesse James, and all the other guys who’ve played before me; they utilize their tight ends here. That’s something I’m not used to where I’ve been, even in college. I just can’t wait to show the player I am — in all aspects: the run game, the pass game, pass protection. So that’s why I see it as a great opportunity. I’m just thrilled about it and I’m excited to be here.”
Sounds as if he’s been dialed into the Steelers for a while.
“Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, there are so many Steelers fans,” he said. “That’s all you see is black and yellow. It’s either that or Browns fans. Obviously I’m not going to be a Browns fan. But yeah they were always on TV growing up. I’ve always watched them. They’ve had so much success. That’s going to continue. Even though the slow start they’ve had, it’s a long season. I don’t think anybody should worry about that. That’s why I’m just going to come in, work hard, keep my mouth shut and contribute any way I can.”
Vannett caught 48 passes for 463 yards and 4 touchdowns in 42 games with the Seahawks. He’ll open his Steelers career against the team he actually did root for as a child.
“I wasn’t really a big NFL fan, but I guess I did cheer for the Bengals,” he admitted. “When I played junior league football my team was the Bengals, so it just kind of made sense. But I wouldn’t call myself a fanatic though.”
When reminded that the Bengals have had several quality seasons, Vannett said, “Yeah, they were good — till they played the Steelers.”
NOTES: Vannett’s wearing No. 88. … The new tight end for the practice squad, Alize Mack, a rookie out of Notre Dame, is wearing Miller’s old No. 83. … Missing Thursday’s practice with injuries along with McDonald were CB Joe Haden (shoulder), FB Roosevelt Nix (knee), OLB Anthony Chickillo (foot) and ILB Vince Williams (hamstring). … OLB Jayrone Elliot (hamstring) was limited. … ILB Mark Barron and C Maurkice Pouncey sat out without injuries.