As a tight end, Nick Boyle was a 2015 fifth-round draft pick of the Ravens who caught 122 passes. But those days are behind him.
Boyle was cut by the Ravens in January and says his knees are no longer healthy enough to play tight end. He’s not done pursuing his NFL dreams, however, and was at the Steelers’ recent rookie minicamp trying to make it as a long snapper.
Although it’s called a “rookie” minicamp, teams can invite any player who’s hoping for a chance, and the 30-year-old Boyle was there in Pittsburgh, among a large group of players in their early 20s.
“I feel old, that’s for sure,” Boyle told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Boyle was a long snapper in high school, so he’s not totally new to it, but he knows it’s going to be an uphill battle to make an NFL roster at a position he hasn’t played in more than a decade. Still, he says he’s going to work hard to make it.
“I’m serious,” he said. “Let’s go do it. It’s not a joke. That’s not what I want it to look like, because it’s not. If this doesn’t work out, I’ll just keep snapping, and if someone else calls, I’ll go there.”