Steelers No Longer Considering Tyreek Hill Trade
It did not take long for Tyreek Hill trade rumors, which swirled throughout the early stages of the offseason, to resurface. Shortly after the Dolphins’ brutal 33-8 loss to the Colts in Week 1, a report indicated the Chiefs and Steelers were eyeing a potential trade for Miami’s talented but mercurial wideout.
Pittsburgh has removed itself from the Hill sweepstakes, at least for now. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the club is concerned that the latest round of domestic violence allegations against Hill – his estranged wife, Keeta Vaccaro, has accused Hill of eight separate violent acts against her, some of which took place while she was pregnant – could result in a suspension.
Those allegations came to light just one day after the Indianapolis loss, and Florio’s prior report on the matter implied the Steelers’ interest in Hill spawned prior to the accusations. It is therefore no surprise that the team will not entertain a move for the 31-year-old wideout until there is more clarity on this off-field situation.
That may well be the case for any club interested in acquiring Hill. However, the trade deadline is not until November 4. By that point, teams may feel comfortable that Hill will be able to avoid a suspension at least for the remainder of the 2025 season and will thus be amenable to swinging a deal.
After all, Hill profiles as an obvious trade candidate. Although he is under contract through 2026, he is due $36MM in total compensation and carries an untenable $51.9MM cap charge next year. Florio confirms Hill will likely be cut by March if he remains with the ‘Fins through the end of the current season, so if the Dolphins – who are currently 0-3 and looking like an obvious seller – are unable to engineer a dramatic turnaround, they will surely consider a trade.
Through the first three games of the season, Hill has recorded 15 catches for 198 yards and a score. The Steelers apparently have interest in pairing his talents with another trade acquisition, D.K. Metcalf, and just as Miami’s status as sellers or otherwise will be solidified by early November, so too will Pittsburgh’s status as legitimate playoff contender or possible also-ran.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/20/25
Here are today’s minor moves and Week 3’s standard gameday practice squad elevations:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: T Jake Curhan, DE Anthony Goodlow
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: G Brandon Walton
Chicago Bears
- Signed from practice squad: DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
- Elevated: CB Dallis Flowers, LB Carl Jones
- Placed on IR: T Kiran Amegadjie, CB Jaylon Johnson (story)
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: WR Kaden Davis, CB Dom Jones
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on IR: WR Jayden Reed (story)
Houston Texans
- Signed from practice squad: FB Jakob Johnson
- Elevated: CB Myles Bryant, CB D’Angelo Ross
- Placed on IR: CB Jaylin Smith
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: TE Quintin Morris
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: CB Kevin Knowles
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: WR Alex Bachman, CB Greedy Vance
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: LB Emany Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: RB Cam Akers, G Henry Byrd
New England Patriots
- Elevated: CB Kobee Minor, LB Mark Robinson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: WR Kevin Austin
- Elevated: DE Fadil Diggs, TE Treyton Welch
- Waived: TE Moliki Matavao
New York Giants
- Signed from practice squad: OLB Tomon Fox
- Elevated: DT Elijah Garcia, LB Neville Hewitt
- Waived: WR Xavier Gipson
New York Jets
- Elevated: S Dean Clark, QB Brady Cook
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: S Marcus Epps, TE Cameron Latu
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: RB Trey Sermon
- Placed on IR: G Max Scharping (story)
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: QB Adrian Martinez, WR Malik Turner
- Placed on IR: OL Spencer Burford
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed from practice squad: S Jerrick Reed II
- Elevated: S D’Anthony Bell, RB Jacardia Wright
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: T Tyler McLellan
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: CB Antonio Hamilton
- Released from reserve/retired list: OL Nate Herbig
There were some eyes on whether or not the Browns would add a kicker for the weekend after Andre Szmyt needed to undergo some MRI testing, but no such moves were made and Szmyt heads into the weekend without an injury designation. The team did report a workout with veteran kicker Matthew Wright, though, per Howard Balzer of CardsWire.
The 49ers will lose some additional offensive line depth as they place their intended swing tackle, Burford, on injured reserve. Additionally, with Martinez not getting signed to the active roster, it appears that injured starter Brock Purdy will not be active as an emergency option, as was rumored a bit yesterday. Purdy should be inactive as a result.
Herbig announced his retirement at the end of July after spending a good portion of the offseason with the Commanders. The 27-year-old was coming off a 2024 season in which he missed the entirety of the year with a shoulder injury. Washington’s release of Herbig from the reserve/retired list gives him an opportunity to sign with a new team as a free agent. There’s no guarantee that he’s headed anywhere specific, but he likely initiated the transaction in order to explore his options.
Steelers DT Derrick Harmon Returns To Practice
Steelers rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon returned to practice this week, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, giving the first-round pick a chance to make his NFL debut in Week 3.
Harmon missed the first two games of the regular season due to an MCL sprain suffered in the preseason. Pittsburgh kept him on the 53-man roster (rather than placing him on injured reserve) with the belief that he would be back within the first four weeks. harmon’s participation in practice this week bodes well for that timeline.
Harmon said (via team writer Teresa Varley) that he is “ready to go,” adding, “my focus is trying to be prepared and make sure I’m healthy enough to get out there.”
Harmon’s return couldn’t come at a better time for a Steelers defensive line that just lost Isaiahh Loudermilk for at least four weeks due to a high ankle sprain. The unit had a rough start to the season even before Loudermilk went down, allowing the fifth-most rushing yards in the NFL through two weeks with just 3.0 sacks.
On the other side of the ball, the Steelers will be without backup guard Max Scharping for the rest of the season. He tore his during ACL during practice on Wednesday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He should be placed on injured reserve soon, which will open up a roster spot for a potential replacement or reinforcements to another part of the team.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/17/25
Today’s midweek practice squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: C Wesley French
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Ajani Carter
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Sataoa Laumea, G William Sherman
- Released: QB Hunter Dekkers
New York Giants
- Signed: CB LaMareon James
- Released: CB Dee Williams
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Matt Sokol
- Released: TE J.J. Galbreath, WR Rakim Jarrett
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: T Brandon Parker
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Shaquill Griffin
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/17/25
Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions:
Houston Texans
- Signed off Browns’ practice squad: TE Brenden Bates
- Placed on IR: WR Justin Watson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed off Vikings’ practice squad: S Kahlef Hailassie
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: S Terrell Burgess
- Placed on IR: DT Vernon Broughton
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: G Kenyon Green
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed from practice squad: DE DeMarvin Leal
- Placed on IR: DE Isaiahh Loudermilk
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed from practice squad: WR Cody White
- Released: CB Shaquill Griffin
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed off Cardinals’ practice squad: DT Elijah Simmons
- Placed on IR: DT Calijah Kancey (story)
Broughton, the third-round rookie out of Texas, is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a hip injury, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The team sought multiple opinions on the injury and was unsure about whether or not surgery would be necessary, but the “significant” hip issue will shut him down for the year.
Green rejoins the reigning champs, once again. It’s been a rollercoaster of employment for the 24-year-old guard, who failed to make the initial 53-man roster in Philadelphia, signed to the practice squad, was promoted back to the active roster, and then was waived two days after the team’s season opener.
Loudermilk had been working as a starter for the first time in his five-year career, but he will miss at least the next four games with a high ankle sprain. Leal, a 2022 third-round pick out of Texas A&M, has disappointed in his first three years of play. After moving to more of an outside linebacker role this summer, Leal failed to make the initial 53-man roster but was retained to the practice squad. He’ll take Loudermilk’s spot on the active roster for the time being.
Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Watson has been sidelined indefinitely with a calf muscle and Achilles injury. The tendon is not torn, so it may not be season-ending, and Watson could return at some point down the line. Luckily, the receiving corps is set to return some reinforcements as head coach DeMeco Ryans announced that both Christian Kirk and Braxton Berrios are expected to be back in Week 3. Wilson also reports that tight end Cade Stover had successful surgery recently for his broken foot.
Steelers Sign LB Ja’Whaun Bentley To Practice Squad
After adding a veteran wideout to their practice squad earlier today, the Steelers have now added a player on the other side of the ball. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Steelers have signed linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley to their taxi squad. ESPN’s Field Yates reported earlier today that Bentley was visiting Pittsburgh.
Bentley joins the Steelers following a seven-year stay in New England, where he transformed into one of the team’s most dependable defenders. The former fifth-round pick tallied at least 100 tackles each year between 2021 and 2023, and he added another 8.5 sacks over that same span.
He was back in the starting lineup for the 2024 season, but he suffered a torn pectoral muscle in Week 2 that ended his season early. The Patriots moved on from him back in March, and he’s remained unsigned since that time.
With Malik Harrison on injured reserve and Patrick Queen nursing an oblique issue, the Steelers decided to add some veteran depth to their squad. Cole Holcomb and rookie seventh-round pick Carson Bruener represent the team’s current depth at ILB behind Queen and Payton Wilson. This signing also reunites Bentley with Jabrill Peppers, as the duo previously played alongside each other in New England between 2022 and 2024.
Bentley was one of many players who auditioned for the organization earlier today. The team already made one previously reported addition in WR Isaiah Hodgins.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/16/25
Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Keith Taylor
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB Malik Hamm
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: WR Kendric Pryor
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Tre Avery, WR Gage Larvadain, T Joshua Miles, T Tyre Phillips
- Released: OT Logan Brown, DT Ralph Holley, CB LaMareon James
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Malik Cunningham, TE Ross Dwelley
- Released: LB Monty Rice
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: C Jimmy Morrissey
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Cole Christiansen
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Dalen Cambre, LB Neville Hewitt, LB Curtis Jacobs
- Released: TE Qadir Ismail, DB Patrick McMorris
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Isaiah Hodgins
Washington Commanders
- Signed: G Tyler Cooper, WR Tay Martin
- Placed on IR: G Darrian Dalcourt
The Steelers added a notable wide receiver to their taxi squad in Isaiah Hodgins. The wideout bounced between the Giants practice squad and active roster in 2024, but he’s not far removed from a stretch between 2022 and 2023 when he hauled in 58 catches for 622 yards and seven touchdowns. He’ll be joining a group of practice squad WRs that includes Rakim Jarrett and rookie Ke’Shawn Williams.
Speaking of the Giants, they added a veteran linebacker in Neville Hewitt. The 32-year-old has appeared in 146 games in time with the Dolphins, Jets, and Texans. His best season came with New York in 2020, when he compiled 134 tackles and a pair of sacks. He mostly saw a special teams role while in Houston, but he rebounded in 2024, tallying 59 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles in 17 games (four starts).
Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith Suffers High Ankle Sprain
SEPTEMBER 15: Rapoport reports Highsmith is not expected to land on injured reserve. As such, a return within the next four weeks will be possible.
SEPTEMBER 14: The Steelers experienced a letdown in their home opener today with a loss to the visiting Seahawks, but a player lost due to injury could have longer-lasting reverberations over the next few weeks. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, head coach Mike Tomlin disclosed that pass rusher Alex Highsmith has suffered a high-ankle sprain. 
High-ankle sprains don’t have a great reputation in the NFL. The injury typically holds an average recovery timeline of around 10 weeks. There’s always a chance that Highsmith’s could be a more minor occurrence, but even that would likely mean a four- to six-week absence with a stint on injured reserve.
This has been an unfortunate trend for Pittsburgh over the last year or so. In 2024, Highsmith missed two separate three-week periods. A groin injury sidelined him after only three games, then after three games back on the field, an ankle injury forced the Charlotte product out for another three games.
Highsmith has been a key contributor to the Steelers defense since getting drafted by the team in the third round in 2020. After coming off the bench as a rookie, Highsmith has been a full-time starter in every year since. Before last year’s absences, he had only missed a single game. He exploded onto the scene in his third season with a 14.5-sack performance, earning himself a four-year, $68MM extension.
He hasn’t reached double-digit sack totals since then, but he routinely contributes to a defense that features other talented pass rushers like T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward. The Steelers like a lot of the pieces they have in place along the defense and young backups like Nick Herbig and fourth-round rookie Jack Sawyer could step up big in Highsmith’s absence. Still, a potential IR stint could make things difficult as the injuries continue to stack up in Pittsburgh.
Steelers, Chiefs ‘Eyeing’ Tyreek Hill?
SEPTEMBER 13: Dianna Russini of The Athletic confirms (subscription required) the Dolphins are not actively looking to trade Hill, adding calls have yet to be made on the subject. In the event Miami continues to struggle, however, interest could pick up before the trade deadline.
SEPTEMBER 11: Trade rumors followed Tyreek Hill throughout the offseason, and the Dolphins’ 33-8 drubbing at the hands of the Colts has only intensified speculation that the veteran wide receiver could be on his way out of Miami.
The Steelers and the Chiefs are both “eyeing” Hill after Week 1, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio (via the Rich Eisen Show).
Kansas City has a clear need at wide receiver following Xavier Worthy‘s injury and Rashee Rice‘s suspension. Hill would especially help a Chiefs downfield passing game that has stagnated since he left the team in 2022.
The Steelers, meanwhile, could continue their apparent all-in push for the 2025 season by pairing Hill with D.K. Metcalf to give Aaron Rodgers one of the top receiver duos in the NFL. Pittsburgh did have Calvin Austin emerge as a potential WR2 in Week 1 with a 4-70-1 statline, but Hill’s All-Pro pedigree and track record of high-end production would still be an upgrade.
Hill is due $36MM in nonguaranteed compensation in 2026 with a $51.9MM cap hit, per OverTheCap, making it unlikely that he stays in Miami past this year. His contract could be a major obstacle to an offseason trade, so the Dolphins might try to move on early to get a better return. Hill is due $11.8MM this season, which is now down to $11.1MM after Week 1 and will drop by an additional $694K per week.
However, the potential for a suspension resulting from recent domestic violence allegations will likely delay any trade inquiries until after the league completes a potential investigation. Until there is some clarity on the situation, other teams won’t want to move draft capital for a rental with an uncertain outlook for the rest of the season. Florio said the accusations against Hill are “a massive complication that wasn’t there when the chatter began.”
Indeed, the Dolphins have received “zero” calls regarding Hill, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, nor is the team currently looking to move him.
Were that to change, trade compensation would still need to be negotiated. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes the Dolphins would want “something in the range of a third-round pick and maybe a Day 2 pick on top of that,” while Florio referenced the 2025 deal that sent Davante Adams from the Raiders to the Jets in exchange for a third-round pick. The Steelers also gave up a second-round pick for Metcalf earlier this year, offering another framework for a potential Hill trade.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/13/25
Here’s are today’s minor transactions and standard gameday practice squad elevations:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: TE Josiah Deguara
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: LB Keonta Jenkins, DT Zion Logue
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed from practice squad: WR Ryan Flournoy
- Elevated: CB Zion Childress, CB Robert Rochell
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: FB Adam Prentice, LB Garret Wallow
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: LB Monty Rice
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: RB Ulysses Bentley IV, CB Chris Lammons
- Placed on IR: CB Jaylon Jones (story)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: TE Quintin Morris
Miami Dolphins
- Signed from practice squad: CB Cornell Armstrong
- Elevated: K Riley Patterson, RB Jeff Wilson
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: CB Fabian Moreau, OLB Gabriel Murphy
New England Patriots
- Elevated: CB Kobee Minor, LB Mark Robinson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: DE Jonah Williams
- Elevated: S Terrell Burgess, DE Fadil Diggs
- Placed on IR: S Julian Blackmon (story)
New York Giants
- Elevated: LB Swayze Bozeman, DT Elijah Garcia
New York Jets
- Elevated: CB Korie Black
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: S Marcus Epps, TE Cameron Latu
- Placed on IR: T Cameron Williams
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: LB Jon Rhattigan
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed from practice squad: LB Curtis Robinson
- Elevated: QB Adrian Martinez, TE Brayden Willis
- Waived: DE Robert Beal Jr.
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: S D’Anthony Bell, DT Brandon Pili
Tennessee Titans
- Signed from practice squad: C Corey Levin
- Elevated: RB Jordan Mims, T John Ojukwu
- Waived: T Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson
With one quarterback on the reserve/non-football injury list and starter Brock Purdy inactive, Martinez comes up with the potential to appear in his first ever NFL game, though Niners fans hope his presence will not be necessary.
Bell will be active for tomorrow’s game as the Seahawks work to replace second-round rookie Nick Emmanwori in the secondary. Emmanwori has been ruled out with an ankle injury. Similarly, Wallow will be part of the Broncos’ efforts to fill in for injured linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who has been ruled out for the second week in a row.