Making Steelers practice squad worth another back flip for Max Hurleman
No one at Wyomissing even knew Max Hurleman could do a back flip.
He did everything else for the Spartans, scoring touchdowns on the football field, sinking 3-pointers in basketball and scorching the nets in lacrosse.
It wasn’t until six years after leaving high school that fans around Wyomissing, and around the country, found out that Hurleman could indeed perform a back flip – in the end zone, no less, after scoring a touchdown for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That showy trick, Aug. 9 against Jacksonville, punctuated Hurleman’s unlikely bid to make an NFL roster, but it was his daily work ethic, dedication, and willingness to do anything asked that earned him a spot on the Steelers’ 17-man practice squad.
Hurleman learned Monday he wasn’t making Pittsburgh’s 53-man opening day roster when general manager Omar Khan asked him to turn in his iPad. Disappointing as that was, Khan assured Hurleman at the meeting that the team would re-sign him two days later, which they did Wednesday.
“They made me feel pretty confident,” Hurleman told MikeDragoSports.com of his meeting with Khan and assistant general manager Andy Weidl. “They told me I was a lock (for the practice squad). The meeting was very positive and they were really excited to move forward with me, to keep me (on the roster), and give me an opportunity to keep developing.”
Being signed to the practice squad means Hurleman will remain part of the team. He’ll go to practice every day and be in daily meetings with head coach Mike Tomlin and his staff.
If there’s an injury to a wide receiver or if Tomlin and Khan think that someone with Hurleman’s skills as a receiver or on special teams can aid their squad he’ll be promoted to the active roster. That could happen at any time.
He won’t necessarily accompany the team to MetLife Stadium on Sept. 7 for the season-opener against the Jets, or to other road games, though team management sometimes opts to bring along certain practice squad players.
“Max is a special guy,” said Bob Wolfrum, who coached Hurleman at Wyomissing from 2016-19. “We’ve had a lot of good ones, but nobody ever worked harder than he did. He never took a break. And he didn’t put up with any crap from anybody who didn’t give their best effort.”
Six months ago no one outside of Wyomissing would’ve given the undrafted free agent a chance of getting this far. He impressed Steelers management with his showing at a rookie minicamp in May and earned the respect of his Pittsburgh teammates throughout summer drills.
He got ample playing time in the Steelers three preseason games and the fact that quarterback Skylar Thompson checked off at the line of scrimmage and called Hurleman’s number showed the confidence Pittsburgh’s staff and players have in him.
That’s about the time Hurleman’s Steelers teammates starting calling him Tom Cruise. Makes sense, because Hurleman’s story has been right out of Hollywood.
Though he didn’t care for the comparison, his leap from Colgate to Notre Dame, where he became a special teams star and played in the BCS national championship game, mirrored that of “Rudy,” the unrelenting kid who made his way onto the Fighting Irish roster and was later immortalized on film.
“It’s definitely been a dream of mine (to play in the NFL),” Hurleman told MikeDragoSports.com after he was initially signed as a free agent following his mini performance. “It’s so awesome to see years of hard work and believing in yourself (lead to this).”
Hurleman successfully walked on at Notre Dame this time a year ago because of his wide-ranging special teams skills: He can return punts and kickoffs and effectively cover on kicks. That ability and his versatility weighed on the Steelers decision to keep him around.
So did his all-around athleticism and hands. They see him as a Julian Edleman-type inside slot receiver who can get off the line quickly, find small seams in a defense and hold onto the ball.
He never played wide receiver before – not at Wyomissing, Colgate, or Notre Dame – but that’s his position in the pros.
“As of now wide receiver is my home, that’s where I’ve been almost the entirety of training camp,” Hurleman said. “That’s where I’ll be. I’m happy with that. That’s where I think my ceiling’s the highest, along with special teams. I think I’m capable of wearing a lot of hats in that realm.”
Players on an NFL practice squad earn $13,000 per week; those with two or more years of service time are paid between $17,500 and $22,000 per week.
If a player gets promoted to the active roster he would be paid the NFL rookie minimum salary of $840,000 per year (which would be prorated). Veteran players would earn more, depending on service time in the league, with a max of $1.255 million for those with seven or more years of service.
Hurleman could end up with another team if he is unprotected by the Steelers. Each NFL team can protect four players each week; others can be claimed and placed on an active roster by one of the other 31 teams.
Two players can be promoted to the active roster on game days. Then they return to the practice squad unless the team offers a one-year deal.
There are no guarantees for practice squad players; they can be cut at any time.
Hurleman knew ahead of time that the first time he scored a touchdown in the NFL he was going to pull off a back flip. He hadn’t tried one since his days at Colgate but he was confident that in the moment he could stick the landing.
“I felt it was fitting for the moment,” he said. “Adrenaline’s high and you’re having fun, and you feel like you’ve made a play that you’ve worked your whole life for and why not celebrate it in a fun way?”
At the Steelers next team meeting Tomlin mentioned it, saying “it was cute, Max.”
Hurleman felt pangs of guild afterwards, though. He texted Wolfrum – a no nonsense guy who would not tolerate such a flashy move on his field – and apologized for not handing the ball to the ref, as he was taught.
Wolfrum granted him a pardon.
“If you’re in the NFL,” Wolfrum reasoned, “you can do anything you want.”
