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On Tuesday, September 14, the Indianapolis Colts released ex-Pittsburgh Steelers safety Sean Davis from the practice squad, just two days after he was elevated to the active roster and played his first NFL game for a team other than the Steelers.
The former 2016 second-round pick (Maryland) has struggled to establish himself anywhere other than Pittsburgh, appearing in 64 games (with 42 starts) for the Steelers, while failing to make the active roster of the Colts in 2020 and Washington in 2019.
Davis, 27, was originally signed by the Colts in April after the Steelers made no move to retain him after he appeared in 16 games (with one start) last season.
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Jets Consider Bringing Back Avery Williamson
Meanwhile, a number of other ex-Steelers were out looking for work on Tuesday, including linebacker Avery Williamson. Per veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the Jets had Williamson in for a tryout, 10-and-a-half months after the organization traded him to the Steelers along with a 2022 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2022 fifth-rounder.
Pittsburgh acquired Williamson, 29, to bolster its inside linebacker depth after losing Devin Bush Jr. to a torn ACL. As expected, Williamson was a half-season rental, starting four of the eight games in which he appeared, recording 52 total tackles (37 solo), with 1.0 sack, two quarterback hits and three tackles for loss.
As noted above, the Jets also took a look at punter Corliss Waitman, who spent the entire 2020 campaign on Pittsburgh’s practice squad and was signed to a one-year Reserve/Futures contract in January. Waitman became expendable after the Steelers drafted Pressley Harvin III in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL draft; he was waived just days later.
In July, Waitman signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, but he was released when the team made its second round of cuts on August 24.
Patriots Try Out Derwin Gray
Meanwhile, there was one other former Steeler out looking for work on Tuesday. According to the aforementioned Aaron Wilson, offensive tackle Derwin Gray is one of four players who tried out with the New England Patriots.
Gray was a seventh-round pick of the Steelers in 2019, but the team waived him last December to make room on the roster for linebacker Tegray Scales. He was claimed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, who kept him in the fold until he was waived in late August, at which point he was claimed by the Titans. But he lasted just a week with Tennessee, hence the tryout with the Patriots.
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Steelers Name 4 ‘Protected’ Practice Squad Players
In one other administrative move of note, Pittsburgh has named the four practice squad players it is protecting this week.
For the second week in a row, the following names are on the list:
- Defensive lineman Henry Mondeaux
- Tight end Kevin Rader
- Running back Jaylen Samuels
New to the list this week is former Raiders safety Karl Joseph, a former first-round pick who was signed to Pittsburgh’s practice squad on September 1.
None of the four players are eligible to sign with another team until after Sunday’s game versus the Raiders.
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