A lot of the Pittsburgh Steelers players are getting some time away from the facility this week according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Balko. But Mike Tomlin and the Steelers coaching staff appear still hard at work trying to find new players to supplement the team’s current roster. One new possibility for the Steelers is safety Mark Perry.
NFL insider Aaron Wilson reported on social media the team hosted Perry for a workout on Wednesday.
Perry spent a majority of the 2024 regular season on the New England Patriots practice squad. The safety also signed a futures contract with New England in January.
Over the past year, Perry has experienced stints with the Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears as well.
Perry went unselected from TCU in the 2024 NFL Draft. He has never played in an NFL regular season game.
Steelers Host Safety Mark Perry for Workout: Report
The Dolphins gave Perry his first NFL opportunity a couple days after last year’s draft. On3’s Wade Perry reported Miami signed Perry with a $15,000 signing bonus on April 27.
But on July 16, Miami placed the safety on the non-football injury list. Miami waived Perry as part of their final training camp roster cuts at the end of August.
Perry began the regular season on the Texans practice squad. But a couple days after Week 1, the Texans waived him.
The Patriots, though, picked him up. Perry spent the rest of the regular season in New England and signed a futures deal on January 6.
This offseason, the Patriots released Perry on April 28. The Titans claimed the safety off waivers but then released Perry on August 5.
Perry finished training camp with the Bears. Chicago waived him on August 24.
During his college career, Perry played three years at Colorado (2019-21) and then two at TCU (2022-23). He intercepted three passes in his final season with Colorado.
At TCU, Perry posted a career-high 84 combined tackles, including seven tackles for loss in 2022. He finished second for the Horned Frogs in tackles. TCU went 13-2 record that season and advanced to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
During 2023, Perry had 58 combined tackles and four pass defenses.
Steelers Safety Depth Entering Week 6
The Steelers hosted Perry a day after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers poached rookie safety Sebastian Castro from Pittsburgh.
Castro also went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft. But the Steelers appeared to like him and were stashing the rookie on their practice squad.
Per NFL rules, a team can sign any player from another organization’s practice squad if they are signing that player to the active roster. The Buccaneers signed Castro to their active roster Tuesday.
Pittsburgh’s interest in Perry appears to be as a practice squad replacement for Castro. Safety DeShon Elliott returned in Week 4, which makes additional safety depth a little less urgent for the Steelers.
The team also has safeties Juan Thornhill, Jabrill Peppers and Miles Killebrew on their active roster.
The need for depth at any position, though, can pop up out of nowhere. The Steelers also have secondary injury concerns with cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Joey Porter Jr.
After losing Castro, the Steelers don’t currently have a safety on their practice squad.
Steelers Pursuing Secondary Depth, Host Former Rival Safety: Report