Steelers Get Down To 53
The Steelers were able to get down to the required 53 players today with the following roster moves:
Released:
- RB La’Mical Perine
- RB Jonathan Ward
- WR Quez Watkins
Waived:
- RB Jack Colletto
- OL TyKeem Doss
- OL Joey Fisher
- WR Dez Fitzpatrick
- DB Zyon Gilbert
- DB Thomas Graham
- LB Marcus Haynes
- WR Jaray Jenkins
- LB Kyron Johnson
- QB John Rhys Plumlee
- DL Willington Previlon
- RB Aaron Shampklin
- DL Jacob Slade
- TE Matt Sokol
- LB Luquay Washington
- WR Duece Watts
- TE Rodney Williams
- LB Jacoby Windmon
Placed on IR:
- DB Ryan Watts
- LB Julius Welschof
Placed on IR (designated for return):
- OL Dylan Cook
- LB Jeremiah Moon
Placed on reserve/PUP list:
- LB Cole Holcomb
Holcomb, Cook, and Moon will be sitting out the first four games of 2024, at least. Watts is the only 2024 draft pick for Pittsburgh who will not be on the active roster to start the year. He and Welschof, one of only two of the team’s five undrafted free agent signees who weren’t waived by today, will miss the entire season.
West Virginia standout cornerback Beanie Bishop is the only undrafted rookie to make the 53-man roster. With Cameron Sutton starting out the year serving a suspension, Bishop could easily find his way into the starting nickelback role.
The Steelers are also coming into 2024 with a thin wide receiving corps. The only receivers on the active roster are George Pickens, Van Jefferson, rookie Roman Wilson, Scotty Miller, and Calvin Austin.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/10/24
Saturday’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DT Jayden Peevy
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: G Chasen Hines
- Placed on IR: OL Kion Smith (story)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DL Marquiss Spencer, LB Luquay Washington
- Waived: LB Easton Gibbs
- Placed on IR: Breiden Fehoko
Seattle Seahawks
- Reverted to IR: DT Matt Gotel
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/24
Today’s minor moves to wrap up the week:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Devin Carter, TE Feleipe Franks, CB Kiondre Thomas
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: WR Cam Sims
- Reverted to IR: DT Popo Aumavae
- Waived: T Christian Duffie, S Clayton Isbell, WR Sam Pinckney
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Nate Brooks, WR Hakeem Butler, P Ryan Rehkow
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from active/NFI list: CB Corey Ballentine, T Caleb Jones
- Activated from active/PUP list: OL Donovan Jennings
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: OLB Owen Carney
- Waived: LB Luquay Washington
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: CB Derion Kendrick (story)
- Placed on reserve/retired list: DT Aaron Donald (story)
New England Patriots
- Waived: CB Kaleb Ford-Dement
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from active/NFI list: WR Shaquan Davis
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: S Marquise Blair
- Waived: S Jonathan Sutherland
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE Salvatore Cannella
Blair reunites with the Seahawks after two years away. A former second-round pick for Seattle, Blair spent parts of 2022 with the Panthers and Eagles before spending last year out with an Achilles tear.
Cannella, who formerly went by Sal, played for the Arlington Renegades of the UFL earlier this year, leading the league with six receiving touchdowns and finishing first among tight ends with 53 catches and 497 yards. He’s been in an out of the NFL with stints in the USFL and XFL before; the Bucs are hoping this time will stick.
Chiefs Sign 17-Man UDFA Class
The rich got richer last week when the winners of the last two Super Bowls drafted seven players, with the first three selections joining the team’s well-established offense. The Chiefs expanded their rookie class to 24 players by signing these 17 undrafted free agents:
- Emani Bailey, RB (TCU)
- Miles Battle, CB (Utah)
- Swayze Bozeman, LB (Southern Mississippi)
- Phillip Brooks, WR (Kansas State)
- Reggie Brown, WR (James Madison)
- Baylor Cupp, TE (Texas Tech)
- Ethan Driskell, T (Marshall)
- Curtis Jacobs, LB (Penn State)
- Fabien Lovett, DT (Florida State)
- Griffin McDowell, T (Tennessee-Chattanooga)
- McKade Mettauer, G (Oklahoma)
- Derrick Miller, CB (Kent State)
- Ryan Rehkow, P (BYU)
- Christian Roland-Wallace, CB (USC)
- Carson Steele, RB (UCLA)
- Nick Torres, G (Villanova)
- Luquay Washington, LB (Central Connecticut State)
The Chiefs return their top three rushers in Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and La’Mical Perine, but after finishing a middling 19th in the league in rushing yards, Kansas City may be taking some flyers on potential upgrades at the backup positions behind Pacheco. Bailey comes in after two seasons at Louisiana and two seasons at TCU. At each school he had a season in which he scored eight touchdowns, and he racked up 1,209 rushing yards in 2023. Steele arrives after two years at Ball State and one at UCLA. He led his team in rushing yards all three seasons and was first-team All-MAC in 2022 after leading the conference with 1,556 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Driskell was a surprising prospect to end up undrafted. He’s raw and needs NFL coaching to develop a role with the Chiefs, but his towering 6-foot-8 frame was expected to land him somewhere in the fifth or sixth round of the draft. Lovett was likewise expected to land in the fifth or sixth round but slipped out to an undrafted position unexpectedly. He has the ability to flash as a rotational defensive lineman, but a lack of consistency could cost him a spot on the 53-man roster.
After trading away L’Jarius Sneed in the offseason and drafting Kamal Hadden in the sixth round out of Tennessee, the Chiefs bring in three more prospects including Roland-Wallace. Roland-Wallace spent his final season with the Trojans after four years as a starter at Arizona. His quick twitch helped him rack up four interceptions and 29 passes defensed in college.
Even Rehkow was expected to get drafted after four years with the Cougars. The four-year punter saw his punting duties skyrocket in 2023 as BYU’s offense struggled mightily in their move to the Big 12.
Chargers Agree To Terms With 21 UDFAs
The Chargers’ roster is set to look very different in 2024. With the departure of key players such as Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Gerald Everett, Kenneth Murray, Austin Johnson, and several others, Los Angeles had plenty of room on the roster for this summer, even after selecting a nine-man class in the 2024 NFL Draft. To fill out the roster, the Chargers turned to these undrafted free agents:
- Karsen Barnhart, G (Michigan)
- Casey Bauman, QB (Augustana)
- Luke Benson, TE (Georgia Tech)
- Akeem Dent, S (Florida State)
- Jaelen Gill, WR (Fresno State)
- Thomas Harper, S (Notre Dame)
- Zach Heins, TE (South Dakota State)
- Savion Jackson, OLB (North Carolina State)
- Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, LB (Mississippi)
- Leon Johnson, WR (Oklahoma State)
- Jaylen Johnson, WR (East Carolina)
- Robert Kennedy, CB (North Carolina State)
- Micheal Mason, DL (Coastal Carolina)
- Tremon Morris-Brash, OLB (Central Florida)
- Tyler McLellan, T (Campbell)
- Willis Patrick, G (TCU)
- Jalyn Phillips, S (Clemson)
- Tyler Smith, T (Western Carolina)
- Zamari Walton, CB (Mississippi)
- Luquay Washington, LB (Central Connecticut)
- Bucky Williams, C/G (Appalachian State)
Barnhart brings an intriguing versatility to a new Chargers offense led by offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Roman loves a guy who can play all over the line (see Patrick Mekari in Baltimore), and Barnhart started games at every offensive line spot but center during his time with the national champion Wolverines. In the team’s championship-winning season alone, Barnhart started eight games at right tackle, four games at left tackle, and three games at right guard en route to second-team All-Big Ten honors.
Heins is another great fit for a Roman offense. Helping the Jackrabbits to back-to-back FCS national championships, Heins established himself as a starter due to his in-line blocking abilities. While, in his three years as a full-time starter, he only racked up 989 receiving yards, he also tallied 17 touchdowns in that same stretch.
The team adds two intriguing options at safety, as well. Harper started for the Fighting Irish as a transfer after four years at Oklahoma State. He didn’t make may plays on balls in the air but showed versatility as a nickel option and a blitzer. Dent, a one-time five-star recruit as a junior in high school, has tons of athleticism, he’s just never been able to convert it into on-field production.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.