A lot of pundits saw the Pittsburgh Steelers choosing between either Gabe Rubio or Dean Lowry for the sixth and final roster spot along the defensive line Sunday. Rubio made the roster, but surprisingly, the Steelers also kept a seventh defensive lineman, and it wasn’t Lowry.
Instead, the Steelers retained undrafted rookie Kevin Jobity Jr.
On Sunday evening, the Steelers announced releasing Lowry and fellow veteran defensive lineman Esezi Otomewo. The team also waived defensive linemen Kyler Baugh and Anthony Goodlow.
Jobity is on the team’s roster as a seventh defensive lineman.
Jobity signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent from Syracuse. In 38 career games for the Orange, he posted 84 combined tackles, including 20.5 for loss and 10 sacks. Jobity also had one pass defense and one forced fumble.
During the 2025 season, Jobity posted six tackles for loss and five sacks. He also had one pass defense in 12 games.
The other six defensive linemen on Pittsburgh’s initial 53-man roster were Cameron Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Keeanu Benton, Yahya Black, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Gabe Rubio. Like Jobity, Rubio is a rookie, but the team selected him in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Pundits React to Steelers Keeping Rookie Defensive Lineman Kevin Jobity
The Steelers made a couple surprising decisions with their first 53-man roster, and none of them involved the quarterbacks.
Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora probably put it best when he called Jobity the “biggest surprise” of Sunday’s roster decisions.
“Biggest surprise of the Steelers initial 53 was keeping UDFA DL Kevin Jobity Jr.,” wrote Kozora on X. “I liked him post-draft but reps were hard to come by in the summer. Seemed like he played well against Buffalo & had a sack.
“Joseph-Day injury + Jobity’s size (Steelers like big DL) factor in.”
The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski still doubted whether Jobity would actually be on the roster for Week 1. But Lysowski also called the defensive lineman “quite the story.”
“Still may end on the practice squad, but either way, it’s quite the story,” wrote Lysowski on X. “The Buffalo native didn’t start playing football until 5 years ago.”
Jobity might simply be insurance of Joseph-Day, who hasn’t been very healthy this month. If the veteran gets back to full strength, Jobity could be expendable.
Still, the undrafted rookie is likely to have a role in Pittsburgh as a rookie. It appears he will end August on the active roster.
Steelers Undrafted Rookie Surprisingly Lands on 53-Man Roster