The Pittsburgh Steelers decided to place wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. on injured reserve Saturday. With that move, the team made a slew of other roster tweaks a day prior to facing the Indianapolis Colts.
In addition to placing Pittman on injured reserve, the Steelers announced signing defensive back Doneiko Slaughter back to their active roster. The Steelers also elevated running back Lew Nichols and wide receiver Brandon Smith from the practice squad to the roster for Week 5.
Smith will temporarily help the Steelers replace Pittman, who will miss the next four games on IR. Smith and Nichols will each return to the Steelers practice squad after Sunday.
Against the Colts, Smith will make his 2026 regular season and Steelers debut. Smith last appeared in the NFL regular season for the New York Jets in 2025.
Nichols will dress for his second game this season. He was also a practice squad elevation the past two games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.
Slaughter has bounced back and forth between the Steelers practice squad and active roster this season. The defensive back has appeared in every game for Pittsburgh this fall.
The Steelers will host the Colts at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 pm ET.
Steelers Place Michael Pittman Jr. on IR, Elevate Brandon Smith From Practice Squad
One of the big questions for Pittsburgh entering this weekend was what the team would decide to do with Pittman. Head coach Mike McCarthy announced Wednesday the veteran wideout had a multiple-week injury. Every IR stint, though, has to last at least four weeks.
If the Steelers elected to forego placing Pittman on IR, then the team would be indirectly stating the receiver could be back within a month.
With Pittman heading to IR, though, that won’t be the case. The earliest he will be able to return is Week 10 on November 15. If he returns that date, because the Steelers haven’t played since October 1, Pittman will be out about a month and a half.
Smith isn’t a direct replacement for Pittman. Roman Wilson and Germie Bernard will be tasked with taking Pittman’s snaps and targets on offense. But Smith will give the Steelers additional receiver depth for at least Sunday against the Colts.
In three NFL regular seasons games, Smith doesn’t have a catch. He has played nine offensive snaps and 13 on special teams. Those three contests were with the Jets — one in 2024 and two last season.
Nichols will play for the Steelers again in Week 4. That could mean running back Rico Dowdle will not dress again, but the Steelers didn’t confirm that Saturday. Dowdle is officially questionable because of a toe injury.
In the past two games, Nichols has one touch, which was a carry. He didn’t gain any yards on the attempt.
Steelers Make Yet Another Move With CB Doneiko Slaughter
It seems like about half of Pittsburgh’s transactions during the 2026 regular season have involved Slaughter. That’s an exaggeration, but maybe not by a lot.
The Steelers made Slaughter a practice squad elevation in each of the first three weeks of the season. Prior to Week 4, the team then signed the defensive back to the active roster after Joey Porter Jr. left a roster spot open following his trade to the Dallas Cowboys.
To create space for the two cornerbacks the team signed off other practice squads this past week, the Steelers waived Slaughter on Tuesday. After he cleared waivers, the team brought him back on the practice squad, which made him an elevation candidate again for Week 5.
But with the open spot after Pittman landed on IR, the Steelers signed Slaughter to the active roster again.
In four games this season, Slaughter has posted two combined tackles. He’s played entirely on special teams (26 snaps).
Steelers Replace Michael Pittman Jr. in Roster Shakeup Before Colts Matchup