Former Bills linebacker Tyler Matakevich re-signs with Pittsburgh Steelers

A Buffalo Bills special teams mainstay has found a new, albeit very familiar, home. Linebacker Tyler Matakevich has signed a one-year deal to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team and head coach who originally selected him in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Some might see this as an attempt by the Steelers to get a feel for themselves, though that’s hardly necessary for a joint practice or preseason game in the middle of summer. Rather, it’s a head coach looking to gain an advantage under the new kickoff rules.

There will likely be a lot of changes to NFL special teams in 2024. New kickoff rules will force teams to scour spring football tapes for strategies. Different types of special teams tactics will be discussed in meeting rooms. Returning players will have to learn new skills to identify blocking kinks that look different than what they’re used to.

Players with the experience and skill set to play special teams, like Matakevich, will likely see increased demand. For Matakevich, he’s back in the Steel City for at least the 2024 season — ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to share the news Wednesday night.

As mentioned above, this is a homecoming for Matakevich, who was drafted by the Steelers nine seasons ago after playing college football at Temple. The 246th overall pick, Matakevich has already built an eight-year career off his special teams prowess.

He was playing the majority of special teams snaps for Pittsburgh by the time his rookie season ended, and he continued to excel in that area throughout his first NFL contract.

Matakevich signed with the Bills in 2020, initially agreeing to a two-year contract, and he eventually signed two more contracts with Buffalo (a one-year extension in 2021 and a two-year extension in 2023). He also served as team captain for several seasons during his time with the Bills.

Matakevich leaves the Bills after accumulating 55 tackles, one interception and three pass deflections in 66 regular-season games.