Ravens waive undrafted rookie fullback Bronson Rechsteiner
The path to making the final roster for an undrafted rookie free agent in a given under normal circumstances is already tough enough as is. This year’s crop is at an extreme disadvantage since the preseason, where many of them make the plays that earn them roster spots or at least put on an audition for other teams, has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the case of undrafted fullback Bronson Rechsteiner, his path to realizing his dream of playing in the NFL will be deferred for the time being after he was waived by the Baltimore Ravens on Monday.
When he signed with the team out of Subdivision I FCS Kennesaw State, it made headlines because of his pro wrestling bloodlines. Rechsteiner is the son of Rick Steiner, known as the “Dog Faced Gremlin” who joined his brother Scott to star as the Steiner Brothers tag team in the WCW and WWF.
Ravens fans everywhere were rooting for Rechsteiner to make the team shortly after he signed with the team after his senior season highlights went viral after he agreed to terms with the team was formally announced.
He had a beast of a final collegiate season where he racked up 909 yards and seven touchdowns rushing and averaged a staggering 8.1 yards per carry from his fullback position. His highlight reel included several clips of him taking fullback dives up the middle all the way to the end zone as he bulled his way through and over would-be tacklers before uncorking his impressive breakaway speed.
However, those impressive plays came against a talent pool that doesn’t produce hardly any NFL players or even hopefuls and the fact that the Ravens already have Patrick Ricard, a rare two-way player that is defensive lineman turned fullback, coming his first Pro Bowl season and just inked a two-year extension did not bode well for his odds of making the roster either.
At least one undrafted rookie free agent has made Baltimore’s Week One roster for 16 years in the row. Even without a preseason, there is still a good chance that the streak gets extended with a few holes at key roles and rotational spots on the roster up for grabs.
Rechsteiner was once discussed as a possible candidate to compete for the third tight end spot that was vacated in the Hayden Hurst trade, but it appears the team is going in a different direction at this time and opening up a roster spot to possibly address it with another veteran after bringing in Jerell Adams last week.
