It didn’t take long for Ben Roethlisberger to develop a bond with Vance McDonald, a sudden newcomer, a future starting tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers, after he was acquired during an August trade in 2017.
At the time, the Steelers didn’t really have a starting tight end after their big signing from the previous offseason, Ladarius Green, was released with a failed physical designation. He suffered a concussion late in 2016 from which he never fully recovered, and hasn’t played since.
The team was projected at the time to enter the season with just Jesse James, Xavier Grimble, and David Johnson at tight end, essentially a group of number two and number three players.