Ever since Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander went down with injuries, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been searching for players who can fill in, either as a starter or as a depth piece. They brought in numerous players for workouts to try and stop the bleeding, including former defensive backs trying to make the transition to linebacker. On Sunday morning, one of those players was cut from the practice squad after a domestic incident.
AP
Pittsburgh Steelers ILB Tariq Carpenter was drafted in 2022 in the seventh round by the Green Bay Packers, and he may see some snaps moving forward with two season-ending injuries to the linebacker room.
Steelers Lose Linebacker Depth
Local Pittsburgh media, WPXI, reported that Tariq Carpenter was arrested on a simple assault charge. Reportedly, Capenter threw a woman to the ground and kept her there "against her will." Shortly after 8:00 A.M. Eastern Time, police were called to the home, and he was arrested on the spot. Carpenter is currently in prison.
We have released LB Tariq Carpenter from the practice squad.
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 17, 2023
Despite the Steelers desperately needing some sort of linebacker depth, Carpenter had barely played at all since being signed to the team's practice squad. He had no defensive snaps at all. All of his snaps have came from special teams, where he had two total tackles in three games. After their matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Carpenter was sent back to the practice squad to make room for other potential linebacker replacements.
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Steelers Mykal Walker watches Ezekiel Elliot score the first of three Patriots touchdowns.
Since the injuries to the linebackers occurred, the Steelers have turned to Mykal Walker to get the starting nod next to Elandon Roberts. As opposed to sticking with Carpenter for depth, the team signed Blake Martinez off of the Carolina Panthers' practice squad, as well bringing back Myles Jack out of retirement. Jack has not played yet, but Martinez has started a game for the Steelers.
Heidi Fang / Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Steelers have made another move at linebacker with signing veteran Blake Martinez off of the Carolina Panthers' practice squad, and he should provide some much-needed depth to the unit.
Carpenter's Arrest Might Not Be The Reason For Release
While the Steelers still have a gaping hole at inside linebacker, it was obvious that the team did not think that Carpenter would provide any sort of relief, since they continued to search for players to fill that void after he had been called up. Being an extra body was seemingly the only reason that he was kept around at all, and the arrest just sealed his fate most likely. The WPXI report even mentions that the arrest might not have been the reason that Carpenter was released in the first place.
What do you think about Carpenter's arrest? Let us know in the comments.
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