Rookie Minicamp Blog: Chip on his shoulder

Been there, done that: Quarterback Bryce Perkins isn’t the typical kind of player who usually winds up at a tryout during a rookie minicamp weekend.

First, he’s 26 years old. Second, he actually started an NFL game last season. Third, he’s got a Super Bowl ring.

In the words of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, Perkins could be considered a “been-there, done-that” guy.

Perkins, a former starter at Virginia, appeared in five games for the Rams in 2022 after not seeing any action in his first two seasons with the team as a practice squad member.

Perkins was signed off the practice squad by the Rams during their Super Bowl run in 2021, then appeared in five games, making one spot start in a 26-10 loss to the Chiefs.

All told, he completed 19 of 34 passes for 161 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions for the Rams last season.

“They reached out and I was blessed with the opportunity,” Perkins said of the tryout this weekend at the Steelers’ rookie minicamp. “I had heard a lot about coach Tomlin and the tradition here. I definitely wanted to come out here and get some work in. Other than that, I’m blessed with the opportunity to come out, show what I’ve got and see what happens from there.”

After spending three seasons with the Rams, Perkins has a little bit of a leg up on rookies Tanner Morgan, signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent after the draft, and former Clemson product Hunter Johnson, who also was in for a tryout this weekend.

But that can be a two-edged sword. Perkins said he caught himself a couple of times looking at how the Rams might try to do things as opposed to how the Steelers want him to do it.

“It’s still all new, though. You can get caught up in the habit of seeing things. It’s really making sure you’re coming out here and adjusting,” he said. “You’re just coming out and trying to translate the things you’ve done for three years. It’s a new process, but it’s been fun.

“A few times out here, I kind of got caught up in it. ‘Oh man, we did…