It’s officially, official this time. Veteran defensive lineman Dean Lowry is back with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The team announced signing Lowry to a 1-year contract Tuesday. He has re-signed with the Steelers after spending all of the 2025 campaign on injured reserve.
Lowry signing his new deal with the Steelers came one month after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Lowry was coming back to Pittsburgh.
Two days after his report, though, Rapoport wrote on social media that Lowry was going to take more time with his free agency decision.
“Upon further review: Dean Lowry has decided to take a little more time to work into playing shape,” Rapoport posted on X. “He did not take a physical, but he has been fully cleared from last season’s injury.”
Back with the Steelers, Lowry is entering his third offseason with the team. He posted five combined tackles with a sack in 12 contests during 2024.
To make space for Lowry, the Steelers released fellow veteran defensive lineman Jahvaree Ritzie on Tuesday.
Steelers Announce Signing Veteran Dean Lowry
The Steelers essentially replaced one of their offseason free agent signings Tuesday. Instead of Ritzie, the team is bringing back a more familiar defensive lineman.
Of course, Lowry will have to learn a new system under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. But Lowry played 159 defensive snaps for the Steelers in 2024.
The Green Bay Packers selected the 31-year-old from Northwestern with the No. 137 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. In seven years with the Packers, Lowry started 80 games.
Over 111 contests in Green Bay, the defensive lineman had 23 tackles for loss, 34 quarterback hits and 15.5 sacks. Lowry also accumulated 16 pass defenses and one interception.
Lowry’s best statistical campaign came in 2021 when he had five sacks and nine quarterback hits.
Pittsburgh’s three starting defensive linemen from 2025 — Cameron Heyward, Derrick Harmon and Keeanu Benton — are all returning. Yahya Black and Sebastian Joseph-Day are set to be the team’s top rotational contributors along the defensive line.
Lowry could compete with Esezi Otomewo, Anthony Goodlow, Logan Lee, Gabriel Rubio, Kevin Jobity Jr. and Kyler Baugh for playing time this summer. Rubio and Jobity are each rookies.
The Steelers placed Lowry on injured reserve in early August 2025 because of an ACL tear.
Steelers Release Jahvaree Ritzie
Again, to bring back Lowry, the Steelers parted with Ritzie.
The 6-foot-4, 294-pound defensive lineman has never played in the NFL. He spent the 2025 offseason with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent.
Ritzie didn’t make the Patriots roster after the preseason in August 2025. He immediately signed with the team’s practice squad on August 27. However, New England released Ritzie before the start of the regular season.
The defensive tackle spent the 2025 regular season as a free agent. He signed a futures contract with the Steelers in January.
Ritzie played college football for four years at North Carolina. In 51 games, he posted 138 combined tackles, including 10.5 tackles for loss. He also had nine sacks, two pass defenses, two forced fumbles and an interception. Ritzie returned his lone interception for a touchdown.
That pick-six came during his senior season in 2024. During that campaign, he also had 6.5 sacks.
Steelers Get Final Answer on Potential Reunion With Veteran DE