The Pittsburgh Steelers, along with the other 31 teams in the NFL, finished their initial 53-man rosters on Tuesday. That doesn't mean the transactions have stopped though, as teams still have plenty of work to do. In addition to placing some guys on IR and replacing them on the 53-man rosters, teams have began filling out their practice squads. Rather than the usual 10 players, practice squads have been upgraded to 16 members for each team.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Cornerback Justin Layne, a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, landed with the New York Giants active roster. The Giants cut some of the initial veterans that made their 53-man roster in order to make room for Layne and three others they claimed off waivers. Layne was the only Steeler that was claimed off waivers by another team. So far, the Steelers practice squad consists of guys that they cut earlier in the week, as is typically the case.
Layne may have ended back up on the black and gold's practice squad if it weren't for the Giants picking him up, but the Steelers found their replacement on Thursday. Mark Gilbert was added to the team's practice squad, who spent the preseason with the team last year. He was recently cut by the Detroit Lions. Elsewhere, if you haven't heard by now, Chris Oladokun was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad on Wednesday. He was cut after receiving minimal snaps throughout training camp, but it seemed as if he would end up back on Pittsburgh's practice squad.
Genard Avery, who seemed to be the team's No. 3 outside linebacker for training camp, was picked up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers recently. While he didn't make their 53-man roster, he was added to their practice squad on Wednesday. It remains a bit of a mystery as to why the Steelers cut ties with him, although the acquisition of Malik Reed is an upgrade over the backups they had at OLB.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
One more former Steeler landed with the Giants on Thursday, as they added Henry Mondeaux to their practice squad. Mondeaux spent the past two seasons in Pittsburgh, but ultimately couldn't make this year's team due to a numbers crunch. It's the deepest defensive line room that the Steelers have had in years, likely since the early 2010's when they had Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, and others.
For now, this seems to be it for the former Steeler players that ended up on other teams' practice squads or 53-man rosters. Former players as in guys that were with the team this off-season, as we know guys like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Matt Feiler made their teams' opening day rosters. Veteran tackle Joe Haeg will likely be the next name, as he has received interest around the league. He's visiting the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.
Will any of these former Steelers be missed? Has the front office done a good job so far in picking out the team's practice squad? Who do you want to see them sign with their remaining seven spots? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, as well as on our social media sites!
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