Sep 8, 2016 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – Persistence is defined as the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people.

The definition just as easily could include a photo of Steelers safety Jordan Dangerfield.

When Dangerfield didn’t get a call into head coach Mike Tomlin’s office last weekend as the Steelers trimmed their roster to 53 players, it marked the first time in four tries his attempt to earn a spot on an NFL roster hadn’t ended with the former Towson State star being released.

All of his hard work and, yes, persistence, finally paid off.

“It (stinks) to get cut and you doubt yourself at the time, but I just used it as motivation,” Dangerfield said this week as he prepared to play in his first regular season game with the Steelers at Washington Monday night. “I knew I was capable of playing in the league. I just had to wait for the right time.”

The right time was now for the 5-11, 199-pounder. After being released by Buffalo in training camp in 2013 and two failed attempts with the Steelers that ended with him spending time bouncing on and off the practice squad seven times in two years, he can finally call himself an NFL player.

If the safety needed any motivation, he needed only to look across the locker room at Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison. A 14-year veteran, Harrison is a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year and five-time Pro Bowl selection who also began his career in Pittsburgh as an undrafted rookie. And like Dangerfield, Harrison bounced on and off the team’s practice squad, and even signed with Baltimore for a stretch, before finally earning a full-time roster spot in 2004.

“I hadn’t given it my all yet,” Harrison said of why he continued to try to make an NFL roster despite being released numerous times.

“The last time, I gave it my all. If it hadn’t worked out then, I would have walked away. I hadn’t taken the time to go through the process of doing everything I needed to do. It didn’t come to me as easily as it did in college. It took me some time to learn to be a professional.”

Dangerfield reached that same point this summer.

He hadn’t reached his end point yet, but he knew his opportunities, at least with the Steelers, were running out.

“I felt like it was. If it wasn’t going to be here, it was hopefully going to be with someone else,” Dangerfield said. “I just made sure I put it all on tape, because if it wasn’t going to be in Pittsburgh, it was going to be with one of the other 31 teams. But I’m very happy it was here with Pittsburgh. I feel like it’s home here. I feel comfortable here. I love the coaches and the organization and my teammates. Now, I’ve got to keep it.”

The two-time defensive captain at Towson always played with reckless abandon. But he hadn’t always coupled that with a complete knowledge of the playbook.

That changed for him this time around.

“I think I showed them a little more in the coverage and knowing the playbook and talking more,” Dangerfield said. “And the timing, with the numbers, had something to do with it, too. I think I showed them more than I did in the past, which is what they always wanted to see. They just wanted to see more each time. I think I showed them enough this time.”

Dangerfield had a strong preseason, making 15 tackles and showing off his ultra-aggressive style of play.

It makes him a perfect candidate to play special teams.

For that reason, Dangerfield hopes the Steelers lose the coin toss to start the game in Washington – or at least defer and kick off to the Redskins.

“Absolutely, definitely. I hope so,” Dangerfield said. “I’m going to get down there and make that play.”

Odds and end zones

Rookie nose tackle Javon Hargrave (quad) returned to practice Thursday. Hargrave was injured in practice Monday. … Fullback Roosevelt Nix, receiver Markus Wheaton, center Cody Wallace and corner Senquez Golson were the only players who did not participate in practice.