Steelers Release Former First-Round Pick After 2nd Stint With Team

The Pittsburgh Steelers are finally starting to get healthy again. They need all the depth that they can get to survive the gauntlet that begins in Week 10. If they want to finally win a playoff game, now is the time to prove it. A division title will go a long way into proving the legitimacy of this team and should give them loads of confidence when heading into January football. To do that, they need to stay healthy while taking nothing and no team for granted. 

Unfortunately, many players getting healthy means other players need to be cut, and the Steelers announced that they have cut two players. 

The primary move here is the fact that Terrell Edmunds was cut after being on the team for about 8 weeks. He was signed off of the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad early in the season for mainly dime packages. He has not played great in that role for the Steelers, and since they need room for healthy players to return, him and Jonathan Ward were on the chopping block. 

It didn't help that Edmunds was already ruled out of the Steelers' Week 10 game against the Washington Commanders with an illness. The fact that he was not going to play anyways made it easier for the front office to make that move. If they want to keep him around, there is still the option of bringing him to their practice squad. 

During the five games that he played for the Steelers, he only racked up seven tackles. He also gave up three receptions for 50 yards on five targets. Despite being on the field for a minimal amount of time, he did not produce well. He was more of a special teams player anyways, as his play on defense was not what the Steelers remembered from his last couple of years in his first stint.

Steelers Made Some Other Roster Moves Saturday

As mentioned before, Ward was also cut. He was a backup running back and kick returner, although he never got the chance to try and run one back. Cordarrelle Patterson and Jaylen Warren are finally healthy, so the Steelers don't really have a need to keep a fourth running back on the roster. 

In good news, however, the Steelers have activated two players off of Injured Reserve (IR). Speaking of second stints, Tyler Matakevich has been activated and is ready to continue his role as a special teams ace. That spot on the team is the primary reason why Edmunds got pushed off the roster. 

Matakevich was a former special teams captain for the Steelers. After his rookie contract expired, he signed with the Buffalo Bills and continued to torment his opponents in that way as well. After four years there, the Steelers signed him back so he and Miles Killebrew can wreck shop together. He was placed on IR after Week 2 and is finally healthy enough to return after the bye week.

Ben Skowronek was also activated off of IR. He was seen as a depth player and another potential specialist along with Matakevich. He also got injured in Week 2 and has not played since. He did have a tackle on special teams before getting injured, although it's interesting that they brought him back.

Teams can only activate eight players off of IR per year. The Steelers only have four activations left, and guys like Cory Trice Jr. and Roman Wilson will likely be back on the roster before the season ends. There is not much wiggle room for the Steelers injury-wise at this point. Bringing back Matakevich makes sense, but the Steelers must feel that Skowronek produces enough to be on the active game day roster.

What do you think about the Steelers' roster moves? Let us know in the comments.

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