CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Eli Rogers has appeared in 30 games at the NFL level — and in all 30 he sported the black and gold.
The Steelers signed Rogers as an undrafted free agent out of Louisville in 2015, and while he spent that entire year on injured reserve, he debuted for the Steelers in 2016 and stuck around with the team in 2017 and 2018 as well.
In all, Rogers caught 78 passes for 822 yards and four touchdowns, posting the bulk of that in 2016, when he made a career-high eight starts and caught 48 passes for 594 yards and three touchdowns.
While Rogers' numbers were never exactly eye-popping, he played a crucial role out of the slot as a possession receiver, making his fair share of clutch catches for the Steelers over the years.
It was a bit of a surprise, then, when Rogers was cut after training camp in 2019.
The team opted to roll with a receiving group of JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, Donte Moncrief, Diontae Johnson and Ryan Switzer, putting Rogers out of work for the year.
After the cut, however, Ben Roethlisberger stayed in touch with Rogers. In fact, according to Rogers on Twitter, Roethlisberger reached out immediately with words of encouragement:
I remember once I got released Ben called me not even 30 mins later and said “I’m shocked.” “I never expected considering how great of a player You are.” Told me that he would’ve loved to play with me again..
— E L I (@__bELIeve17) January 8, 2020
Thank You for your support throughout the years. You was a genuine person to me and there for me throughout the years if ever I needed guidance as a young player and I appreciate you for that. #Love
— E L I (@__bELIeve17) January 8, 2020
Classy.
Not just a text — a phone call — and some kind words to go with it for a receiver who came in and contributed after entering the league as an undrafted longshot.
Most recently, Rogers was drafted by the DC Defenders in the XFL's 2020 Expansion Draft in November.
