2024 Steelers Exit Interviews: Tyler Matakevich and C.J. Henderson
The Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 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 2025.
Since the Steelers conduct exit interviews with all their players, and the fact I have done these articles in the past, we thought we would do them yet again here at Steel Curtain Network. 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 and those heading into free agency, we will attempt to do the same to some degree. To start, we will pair the most recent draftees with another player at the same position (if possible) as we work through this process to eventually cover the entire Steelers roster.
Next up are linebacker Tyler Matakevich and cornerback C.J. Henderson.
Tyler Matakevich
Position: Linebacker
Years with the Steelers: 5
Years in the NFL: 9
Contract Status: Free Agent
Contract Details: Contract expiring with no dead money.
Games played in 2024: 11 regular season
Games started in 2024: 0 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 0 (defense), 195 (special teams)
PFF score: N/A (63.4 on special teams)
Notable stats: Matakevich had four tackles on special teams.
Notes: Coming back to the Steelers after four years in Buffalo, Tyler Matakevich missed six games while on IR. When he was available, Matakevich got a helmet on game day every week. But for the first time in his career, Matakevich did not contribute a single snap on defense for the season. Although the Steelers know what they had from Dirty Red when it came to special teams, if they can get similar production from someone who does contribute to their position group it would be a much better use of a roster spot. For that reason, we’ll have to wait and see if the Steelers bring Matakevich back on another minimum deal for 2025.
C.J. Henderson
Position: Cornerback
Years with the Steelers: 1
Years in the NFL: 5
Contract Status: Free Agent
Contract Details: Contract expiring with no dead money.
Games played in 2024: 0 regular season
Games started in 2024: 0 regular season
Snaps (regular season): None
PFF score: N/A
Notable stats: Henderson had no stats from 2024.
Notes: Probably the most forgotten player who finished the season with the Steelers, C.J. Henderson was signed to the practice squad at the end of September. When some other teams started to inquire about poaching him from Pittsburgh, the Steelers signed Henderson to the active roster in October but never had him active on game day. By mid November Henderson was placed on IR and did not return. Whether he returns for 2025 is anyone’s guess.
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:
Troy Fautanu & Broderick Jones
Zach Frazier & Ryan McCollum
Roman Wilson & Van Jefferson
Payton Wilson & Patrick Queen
Mason McCormick & James Daniels
Logan Lee & Isaiahh Loudermilk
Ryan Watts & Damontae Kazee
Joey Porter Jr. & James Pierre
Keeanu Benton & Montravius Adams
Darnell Washington & Pat Freiermuth
Nick Herbig & Jeremiah Moon
Cory Trice Jr. & Donte Jackson
Spencer Anderson & Calvin Anderson
Larry Ogunjobi & Preston Smith
Beanie Bishop Jr. & Cameron Sutton
George Pickens & Mike Williams
DeMarvin Leal & Dean Lowry
Calvin Austin III & Ben Skowronek
Connor Heyward & MyCole Pruitt
Mark Robinson & Elandon Roberts
Najee Harris & Jaylen Warren
Russell Wilson & Justin Fields
Kyle Allen & Cordarrelle Patterson
Isaac Seumalo & Max Scharping
