Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Gable Steveson warms up before a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers in Orchard Park last Saturday.
AP photo
ORCHARD PARK — Gable Steveson’s bid to switch careers from wrestling to pro football is on indefinite hold.
And the super heavyweight gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics and two-time NCAA champion at Minnesota has work to do to even be considered an NFL practice-squad candidate following a three-month crash course with the Buffalo Bills.
A day after releasing Steveson, general manager Brandon Beane credited the 24-year-old for making a good impression for someone who had never played a down of football before signing with Buffalo in May. At the same time, Beane acknowledged, there was no room on Buffalo’s 17-player practice squad to fit an undersized defensive lineman still in the developmental stages of his career.
“To do what he did and the short runway that he had, I was impressed,” Beane said Wednesday. “I’m hopeful that he will stick with this. We wouldn’t close the door on bringing him back here at some point.”
Steveson has not provided any indication whether he will continue pursuing football since being released. He declined to speculate in June when asked to look ahead to September.
“If you’re looking all the way to September, you’re not going to get far because you’re looking for the future. I’m looking for the present,” Steveson said.
He turned to football after the Bills invited Steveson to a tryout weeks after he was released by the World Wrestling Entertainment’s developmental brand, NXT, in April.
Limited to playing with Buffalo’s third-stringers, Steveson appeared in all three preseason games and was credited for having a hand in three tackles and two quarterback hits over 43 defensive snaps.
Beane said Steveson showed signs of improvement and leaned on his wrestling techniques to help smooth the transition and make up for his 6-foot, 280-pound frame, which is considered small among NFL defensive linemen.
Ultimately, Beane went with size and experience when filling one of his practice squad defensive tackle spots with 6-foot-3, 325-pound Eli Ankou, a seven-year journeyman who is familiar with the Bills’ system. Also signed was undrafted rookie free agent Branson Deen, who at 6-foot-1 and 298 pounds has the same frame as Steveson but far more football experience, splitting his five-year college career between Purdue and Miami.
The chances of him making the immediate jump from wrestling to the NFL were slim, something even Steveson acknowledged in June.
“This is definitely a unicorn situation,” said Steveson, who considered it a personal challenge to see how far he could stretch his athletic abilities.
“I’m excited for this new adventure. I want to give Buffalo my everything,” he added. “I just want to be that person that, hey, here’s a guy who’s never done it and he’s going to do it. And I believe in myself.”