PITTSBURGH — Marquez Valdes-Scantling notices a much different energy in the Pittsburgh Steelers' building. After signing with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent, being released in August, then spending the last month or so as part of the Los Angeles Chargers, the ninth-year receiver landed back in black and gold on Tuesday.
Being with the Steelers, who sit at 4-2, and not the 0-6 Bolts, was much more enticing.
"They obviously wanted me back, and there was a lot of moving parts," Valdes-Scantling said after Wednesday's practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "I talked to Aaron (Rodgers) shortly after, and he told me what was going on here. We'll see if it works out."
#Steelers WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, back in black and gold, during Wednesday's practice: pic.twitter.com/YLRwsOQSaJ
— Brendan Howe (@bybrendanhowe) October 21, 2026
Valdes-Scantling played in five games for the Steelers last season, arriving in late October and catching 10 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown.
He reunites, too, with head coach Mike McCarthy — who was in charge when the Green Bay Packers selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft — and tight end Robert Tonyan.
"Obviously, I've been here a grand total of 12 hours, so there's gonna be an acclimation period," Valdes-Scantling. "But there's a lot of carryover from my rookie year, some stuff from last year. Obviously, there's a lot of history with Aaron and I, so just being able to get on the same page with him, it should be fairly quick."
Valdes-Scantling's ability to hastily pick things up is a strength of his.
"That started back in my rookie year," Valdes-Scantling said. "As a fifth-round draft pick, I had to do anything to make the team, and so the best way I learned was to learn everything. And so I learned the game from a quarterback's perspective and learned all the positions to be able to plug and play everywhere. So I developed that and kept it for the last nine years."
Related Headlines
