Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted three wide receivers for tryouts on Tuesday, according to the NFL transactions page.
The Steelers hosted wide receivers Cole Burgess, Elijah Cooks and Cornell Powell at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex this week.
The tryouts came after rookie wide receiver and kick returner Ke’Shawn Williams landed in the concussion protocol after he was injured on the opening kickoff of the Steelers’ Week 11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. But Williams has since returned to action, practicing in full on Thursday.
Burgess, 25, was an undrafted free agent of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024. He spent his rookie season on the Cincinnati practice squad, and re-signed with the Bengals for 2025, but was released in August. He played in two preseason games as a rookie and three this summer, without recording any statistics.
The 6-foot, 192-pound Burgess posted outstanding athletic testing numbers coming out of Division III Cortland State. He ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, posted a 6.72-second three-cone drill and had a 41.5-inch vertical for an overall 9.80 Relative Athletic Score out of 10.
Burgess spent six seasons with the Red Dragons, but played only four. His best season came as a sixth-year senior in 2023, when he caught 87 passes for 1,375 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also had three career kickoff returns for a touchdown and a 25-yard per return average.
Cooks, 27, is in his third professional season, having previously spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Philadelphia Eagles. Cooks first signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent out of San Jose State in 2023. He played in nine games as a rookie, catching three of four targets for 38 yards. He also played on four phases of special teams.
Last year, he was waived and sent to the practice squad. He was elevated and played two more games with the Jaguars, without recording any statistics.
In January, Cooks signed with the Eagles’ practice squad for one week, but was released before the NFC Championship Game. He re-signed in Philadelphia for 2025, was waived in August, and signed to the practice squad, but was released on Sept. 8.
Cooks is a 6-foot-3 3/4, 219-pound wide receiver that combines strong size with a. 37.5-inch vertical, but has just average speed, posting a 4.51 40-yard dash in pre-draft testing. He carried an overall 8.52 Relative Athletic Score out of 10 into the NFL.
A Santa Maria, California native, Cooks started his collegiate career at Nevada, where he played in five seasons before transferring to San Jose State. His one season with the Spartans was by far his best, catching 69 passes for 1,076 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Powell, 28, is a former fifth-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in his fifth professional season. Powell won two Super Bowl rings early in his career with the Chiefs. He spent four seasons in Kansas City, but played in just three games, and had only three snaps of offense. Powell did play 28 snaps of...
