Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 Exit Interviews: Jeremy McNichols and Carlins Platel

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 NFL season has come to a close. Because the Steelers are among the 31 teams who did not finish fulfilling their ultimate goal, they are in the process of wrapping up their season and moving forward into 2023.

Since the Steelers conduct exit interviews with all their players, we here at BTSC thought we would do the same. By outlining two players each day, we will be able to look at their season in retrospect as well as looking toward the future. Since Coach Tomlin has previously stated he starts his interviews with rookies, first year players, and those heading into free agency, we will do the same. To start, I paired a potential free agent with players on rookie contracts. Now that both of those categories are done, I’ll pair players under contract as we work through this process to eventually cover the entire Steelers roster.

Next up are running back Jeremy McNichols and cornerback Carlins Platel.

Jeremy McNichols

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Position: Running back
Years with the Steelers: 0
Years in the NFL: 5
Contract Status: Restricted Free Agent
Contract Details: Contract expiring with no dead money. The Steelers are able to offer a Restricted Free Agent Tender if they choose.
Games played in 2022: 0 regular season
Games started in 2022: 0 regular season
Snaps (regular season): None
PFF score: None
Notable stats: None

Notes: Joining the Pittsburgh Steelers at the beginning of training camp, McNichols only lasted a week before landing on the Reserve/Injured List (IR) with an injured shoulder. While McNichols was initially the veteran presence the Steelers hoped to have in the running back room, it just didn’t work out. But since the Steelers have answered questions about their top two running back spots, don’t look for McNichols to return in 2023 unless it’s for the league minimum.

Carlins Platel

Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images

Position: Conrnerback
Years with the Steelers: 0
Years in the NFL: 0
Contract Status: Signed through 2024
Contract Details: $750,000 salary cap hit for 2023. Would cost the Steelers $0 in dead money if released and save $750,000.
Games played in 2022: 0 regular season
Games started in 2022: 0 regular season
Snaps (regular season): None
PFF score: None
Notable stats: None

Notes: injured in the final preseason game in August, Platel only played 10 snaps with the Steelers. Signed following his tryout at rookie minicamp, Platel was not going to make the Steelers 53-man roster but instead was waived/injured after having knee surgery. After clearing waivers and not reaching an injury settlement, Platel landed on the Steelers IR for the entire 2022 season. With the lowest possible salary any player can have in the NFL with no accrued seasons, Platel coming to training camp hurts to Steelers in no way unless they need the spot following the 2023 NFL draft or the corresponding rookie minicamp.

Make sure you check back each day for another set of exit interviews. If you have missed any of the previous articles, they are listed here:

Kenny Pickett & Mason Rudolph
George Pickens & Miles Boykin
DeMarvin Leal & Larry Ogunjobi
Connor Heyward & Zach Gentry
Mark Robinson & Devin Bush
Jaylen Warren & Benny Snell Jr.
Calvin Austin III & Derek Watt
Najee Harris & Terrell Edmunds
Pat Freiermuth & Trent Scott
Dan Moore Jr. & Jesse Davis
Isaiahh Loudermilk & Chris Wormley
Tre Norwood & Damontae Kazee
Pressley Harvin III & Marcus Allen
Kendrick Green & J.C. Hassenauer
Alex Highsmith & Malik Reed
Kevin Dotson & Tyson Alualu
Ahkello Witherspoon & Cam Sutton
Myles Jack & Robert Spillane
Minkah Fitzpatrick & Karl Joseph
Levi Wallace & James Pierre
Miles Killebrew & Elijah Riley
T.J. Watt & Jamir Jones
Montravius Adams & Tae Crowder
Cam Heyward & Jonathan Marshall
Chris Boswell & Christian Kuntz
Arthur Maulet & William Jackson III
Steven Sims & Gunner Olszewski