One area of the roster where the Pittsburgh Steelers still lacked depth after the 2026 NFL Draft was tight end. That’s why two of the team’s six undrafted free agents this spring were tight ends. This week, the Steelers added another tight end — Jaheim Bell.
The team announced signing Bell on Monday.
“The Steelers signed tight end Jaheim Bell to a one-year contract,” wrote Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley.
“Bell was previously signed to the Steelers practice squad near the end of the 2025 season.”
Most recently, Bell was across Pennsylvania on the Philadelphia Eagles offseason roster. The Eagles waived Bell following the 2026 NFL Draft on April 28.
Bell was also with the Eagles during October last season. The tight end spent Week 18 and the NFL 2025-26 postseason on the Steelers practice squad.
Bell played in 15 games for the New England Patriots during 2024. He had two catches for 20 yards while playing 83 offensive snaps. Bell also lined up for 176 snaps on special teams.
Steelers Bring Back TE Jaheim Bell
Pittsburgh went from a team, quite frankly, with too much tight end depth to not enough this offseason.
The Steelers lost Connor Heyward in NFL free agency. They also released veteran Jonnu Smith.
The team still has Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. That’s a strong 1-2 starter punch. Freiermuth has a well-rounded skillset, and Washington’s tremendous size became a significant asset last season.
But the Steelers are searching for a new TE3 this offseason. Bell will presumably compete for that role this summer.
The Patriots selected Bell at No. 231 overall in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. That was after he played four seasons at South Carolina and Florida State.
During his final college season with the Seminoles in 2023, Bell posted 39 catches, 503 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Bell has potential as a pass-catcher. But he stands at only 6-foot-2 and 241 pounds, which doesn’t bode well for him ever becoming a strong blocker.
“Undersized as a tight end and lacking instincts as a lead blocker out of the backfield, Bell is a player without a clean positional fit after playing all over the field at South Carolina and Florida State,” wrote NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein in his NFL Draft profile. “When Bell centers in and locks up, he can be an effective blocker, but he is wildly inconsistent when asked to make blocks on the move in space.
“He’s tight-hipped, but he does have the speed to run the seams and is a talented runner after the catch. He might need to find a modified gadget role and really show out on special teams to make a squad.”
Steelers TE Depth Entering 2026 Rookie Minicamp
The Steelers selected Riley Nowakowski in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He could replace Heyward as Pittsburgh’s Swiss-army knife on offense.
However, pundits expect Nowakowski to play more fullback than tight end. Heyward played both.
The Steelers didn’t draft any primary tight ends this spring. Instead, they signed Lake McRee and Chamon Metayer in undrafted free agency.
The team also has 2025 undrafted free agent JJ Galbreath on the roster.
Bell will join that group to try and win a job this summer.
One of those tight ends is likely to make the roster. But that might not be guaranteed.
The Steelers have loaded wide receiver and running back position groups this offseason. If Freiermuth and Washington are both healthy, and the team is confident in Nowakowski as a TE3 option, then the Steelers could forego having another primary tight end to keep an additional receiver or back.
That will all depend on how the offseason workouts, training camp and the preseason go.
Steelers Announce Signing Ex-Eagles Player to Address Roster Weakness