April 6, 2026, 6:36 p.m. ET
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most storied franchises in all of sports, and that clearly isn’t lost on one of their former players.
According to former Steelers offensive lineman Derwin Gray, playing for Pittsburgh was an experience like no other — ranking at the very top of his former teams list.
“Pittsburgh was the best team I ever played for. And it still is today,” Gray said via The Katie Black Show. “Pittsburgh is the best organization. It had a lot of veteran people there. When I say veteran, not just veterans on the field, but veterans off the field.”
Gray, who was selected by the Steelers with the 219th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, was waived his rookie year in August to make room for the 53-man roster. He joined the Steelers’ practice squad soon after and signed a reserve/future deal on December 30.
He appeared in five games during his second season in the league but was waived on December 26, 2020. Gray signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars two days later.
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Gray spent his last two seasons in the league with the Tennessee Titans (2021-2022) before joining the United States Football League’s Birmingham Stallions in December 2022. He left the Stallions in February 2025 to join the Canadian Football League’s BC Lions.
Despite spending only two seasons with Pittsburgh, Gray was clearly touched by the Steeler way and isn’t shy about expressing his gratitude for the Steel City brand of football.
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