The time of Devlin “Duck” Hodges in Pittsburgh has come to an end. According to the NFL transaction report, Hodges’ contract with the Steelers expired, along with four other practice squad players.
Hodges was a briefly-beloved figure who inspired tee shirts and duck costume-wearing fans at games. Winning three consecutive games as a third-string quarterback will do that.
With a healthy Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers had no need for Hodges on the 53-man roster this season. Initially, he’d won the No. 3 quarterback position — that is, until the Jaguars cut Josh Dobbs. Pittsburgh snapped Dobbs up and released Hodges the week before kickoff and re-signed Hodges to the practice squad once he cleared waivers.
In eight games (six starts), Hodges threw for 1,063 yards, five touchdowns and eight interceptions for a record of 3-3.
Also gone from Pittsburgh are wide receiver Deon Cain, tight end Charles Jones, running back Wendell Smallwood and kicker Matthew Wright.
The Steelers signed 15 players to futures contracts last week.
