The dream is still alive for David Paulson.
Ten weeks after being cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers – the team that drafted him with the 240th pick in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft – the Renton-born tight end, who played at Auburn Riverside High and the University of Oregon, signed with the San Diego Charger practice squad.
“After I worked out, they told me they were going to pick me up,” Paulson said. “I’m glad. I like (San Diego) a lot. The weather is awesome.”
Also known as scout teams, the practice squad allows the 6-foot-4, 246-pound Paulson to work out with the team but not participate in games unless he is signed to the active 53-man roster. Practice squads players are free agents and may sign with any other NFL team’s 53-man roster. Scout team players earn a minimum of $6,000 a week, with no limit on how much a team can pay them.
For the 25-year-old Paulson, who was cut after two seasons in Pittsburgh, playing for the Chargers is also another opportunity to learn from a veteran player, this time All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates.
“It’s real fun to watch the things he does,” Paulson said. “He plays at such a high level.”
Paulson said it’s similar to his situation in Pittsburgh, where he played behind All-Pro tight end Heath Miller and backup Matt Spaeth
“I learned a ton in Pittsburgh,” Paulson said. “Heath Miller is a great tight end, and so is Matt Spaeth. I just followed those guys, worked out with them and trained with them. They taught me a lot about playing at this level, especially how to take care of my body.”
During his time in Pittsburgh, Paulson played in 32 games, starting nine and finishing with 13 catches for 153 yards.
Paulson said it was difficult to deal with being cut by the Steelers.
“It was really tough,” he said. “I haven’t had to deal with that very often in my career playing football, so it was a different experience for me. I wasn’t anywhere for a few weeks. It was tough.”
Preparing for life after football, Paulson said he and his wife moved back to Auburn.
“But I was traveling every week to work out with teams,” Paulson said.
Fortunately, the Chargers liked what they saw.
Paulson said his game is light years ahead of where he was when he graduated from Oregon.
“(I’m better at) everything. The mental part, especially, I really understand football better the longer I’m at this level,” Paulson said. “I’m trying to improve my blocking the most. I think I’m a lot better than I was, but I’m still not 100 percent.”
Despite getting another chance at cracking an NFL roster, Paulson said the time off forced him to begin thinking about what’s next.
“I think about what I’m going to do when it’s over,” he said. “It’s hard because I’ve been doing football so long, so I want to stay involved because I love it. But also I want to try something new. I’ve got a business degree, a masters in business. So maybe combining sports and the degree would be nice. But I’ve never had to have a real job, so I think about it a lot.”
Paulson starred in high school for the Ravens, where he played quarterback his senior year, and shined at Oregon, where he finished his career with 67 receptions with 1,041 yards and 10 touchdowns and was an SI.com All-American honorable-mention performer.
