When Logan Lee suffered a calf injury during the preseason, he never anticipated it would be a quick end to a rookie season that really never got going.
But Lee, the Steelers sixth round pick from Iowa, just knew he would have to be patient, because everything happens for a reason.
Instead of being on the field all season, Lee spent the year on the Reserve/Injured List, learning a different side of how things are in the NFL.
"I have just been extremely blessed with the opportunity to be able to see the way the business works and see that there are a lot of moving parts," said Lee. "I got to see a different point of view in the sense that I obviously wanted to play football. That was my ultimate goal this year. But the Lord had different plans, and ultimately it worked out the best it could have.
"I'm just grateful for the opportunities, my blessing so far, and I'm looking forward to getting to work this offseason.
"The biggest thing for me this season was being out so much, I had a lot of time to take more notes, see things from a different point of view. And me personally, I do learn better when I am doing it physically. But it was a good opportunity for me to learn while not being able to get any walkthrough or physical reps. I think I took a big step there.
"My plan is not always going to be the one that wins out. I think I'm a faithful man and I truly believe the Lord's plan will always be better than my own. Based off of my goals and my intentions, I always set a plan, but I often get reminded that ultimately, I am not in control. I would say that the biggest thing for me this year was it was really hard at the beginning of the year, but I ended up starting to settle down once I understood there is a bigger picture. Everything happens for a reason and I'm just looking forward to that opportunity."
That opportunity almost came about near the end of the 2024 season, when Lee was designated to return from the Reserve/Injured List prior to the regular season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals and continuing as the team prepared for the Wild Card game against the Ravens. Lee wasn't activated, but just getting the opportunity to be back on the field was a win for him.
"It was very encouraging because the first week, I felt like a fish out of water where I was a step behind everywhere. I was just trying to get reacclimated by drinking water through a fire hose, I guess.
"But it was a really cool opportunity because that second week I felt like I got my feet under me. We had a padded practice, and I felt like it was one of the better practices I had as a Steeler, and I just had four of five months off from practicing. I thought if that's what I'm capable of doing while taking that much time off, I'm super excited to see where it will take me in the near future."
Lee, who was the 178th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, brought a lot to the table with him when he was selected by the Steelers. He appeared in 43 games at Iowa, starting 41 of them. He had 158 career tackles, including 58 solo stops, 18.5 tackles for a loss, nine sacks and seven passes defensed. Lee started 13 games at defensive tackle in 2023, finishing the season with 55 tackles, 19 of them solo stops. He had five and a half tackles for a loss, three sacks, three pass breakups, one pressure and one blocked kick.
Now, with a year of learning and observing under his belt, he wants to take it to the next level on the field when the team returns in a few months for offseason workouts and ultimately OTAs and minicamp.
"I am preparing myself, preparing my body," said Lee. "I feel like I am in the best shape of my life. I had 18 consecutive weeks of training without playing. So, I felt like I prepared, and I just want to stay on that track and continue to get my body to a place where I am feeling strong, fast and healthy.
"That's the ultimate goal, to stay safe, healthy and prepare as if I am getting ready to play. It's trying to acclimate yourself to the training program we will have when we are getting football like activity going. Just being able to do drills. It's getting acclimated and being in the best shape possible."
