Former undrafted free agent JJ Galbreath turned heads at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp a year ago. This season, it doesn’t appear he will be with the team for preseason action.
According to the NFL transaction wire, the Steelers waived Galbreath on Friday. The team also waived wide receiver A.T. Perry.
The Steelers parted ways with both players to claim tight end Lance Mason and wide receiver Colton Dowell off waivers. Mason was previously with the Seattle Seahawks while Dowell just played for the San Francisco 49ers.
Galbreath stood out during 2025 training camp. He joined the team a year ago as an undrafted free agent. Galbreath, though, didn’t make the team and only spent a few weeks in September on the team’s practice squad.
The Steelers brought back Galbreath on a futures deal in January. He has yet to make his NFL regular season debut and hasn’t spent any time with another organization.
Unless the Steelers find a way to re-sign him again, he won’t be with the team when the preseason begins next Thursday.
Steelers Waive JJ Galbreath, Add Lance Mason at TE
Essentially, the Steelers saw two players on waivers that they would rather have to end this week. To add them, the team cut two players at the same positions.
Galbreath was one of those players. Last year, he performed well at training camp, but even in Arthur Smith’s tight end-centric offense, Galbreath couldn’t make the cut.
The Steelers don’t have as deep of a tight end room this year as last August. Jonnu Smith and Connor Heyward each departed over the offseason, leaving Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington as the team’s primary tight ends.
That appeared to open the door for Galbreath to earn the TE3 role. But the Steelers recently signed veteran Robert Tonyan. He caught 11 touchdowns from Aaron Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers in 2020.
The Steelers also have undrafted free agent tight end Lake McRee on the roster.
In Mason, the Steelers have added another undrafted tight end from this year. The pair will compete with Tonyan and veteran Jaheim Bell for opportunities behind Freiermuth and Washington.
Mason was with the Seahawks from May 1 until this week.
Steelers Also Waive A.T. Perry, Claim Colton Dowell at WR
With the tight end exchange, the Steelers got slightly younger. The switch at receiver made the receiver group in Pittsburgh a little bit older with roughly the same experience.
The Tennessee Titans selected Dowell at No. 228 overall in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He appeared in 10 contests for the Titans during 2023. He caught one pass for three years while playing 51 offensive snaps. Dowell also lined up for 139 snaps on special teams.
Dowell hasn’t played in the regular season since 2023. He spent part of the 2025 season on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad. Dowell was with the 49ers throughout this offseason until this week.
Perry was also part of the 2023 draft class. The New Orleans Saints picked him at No. 195 overall in the sixth round. He also played in 10 games as a rookie, posting 12 catches for 246 yards with four touchdowns.
Just like Dowell, Perry also hasn’t played in the regular season since then.
Perry was with the Saints and Denver Broncos during 2024. Last season, he signed with the Broncos practice squad in late August but fell out of the league before Week 1.
Perry signed a futures deal with the Steelers in January.
The Steelers still have 12 wide receivers on their training camp roster. They also have six tight ends.
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