Pittsburgh Steelers Sign Rookies Alameda Ta’amu and Chris Rainey
Although Alameda Ta’amu and Chris Rainey were the Pittsburgh Steelers’ fourth and fifth picks in the 2012 NFL Draft respectively, they are both the first and second rookies to sign a contract with the Steelers. Both deals are four-year contracts, with terms undisclosed.
Ta’amu, a nose tackle out of the University of Washington, just might get the chance to start right away with veteran nose tackle Casey Hampton still recovering from reconstructive surgery on his ACL. The 6’3”, 348-pounder is a perfect fit for Pittsburgh’s 3-4 defense, and will eat up a lot of space to make it easier for Steelers linebackers.
In his final season with the Huskies, Ta’amu registered 30 tackles and 3.5 sacks. In addition, Ta’amu was an All-Pac 12 Conference honorable mention in 2010 and 2011.
Rainey, the 159th overall pick in the draft, will more than likely contribute offensively on third downs either lining up in the backfield or in the slot. Rainey’s role in the backfield will help a depleted running back corps that is coping with the injury to Rashard Mendenhall’s ACL. The University of Florida jack-of-all-trades will more than likely get some reps at returning punts as well, which will lighted the load for wide receiver Antonio Brown.
Rainey, a 5’8 ¾”, 180-pound back, played tailback, slot receiver, and was a return specialist for the Gators in Gainesville. Rainey finished his collegiate career with 3,948 all-purpose yards, blocked six punts on special teams (setting both school and Southeastern Conference records).
Both Ta’amu and Rainey will definitely make big contributions to the Steelers as rookies this season, and having them signed this early will only make matters even better for them going into organized team activities this offseason.
Now the next order of business is to get David DeCastro, Mike Adams, Sean Spence, and the rest of the rookie class to sign on the dotted line. And it wouldn’t hurt to get Mike Wallace to sign his tender as well.
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