Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Buddy Johnson of the Pittsburgh Steelers during a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles on August 12, 2021.
Early Tuesday afternoon the Pittsburgh Steelers announced the names of almost all the players who were released to get down to the 53-man roster. As of 1 p.m. ET, the team still needs to make three more roster moves, with Tuesday’s trade for Denver Broncos linebacker Malik Reed figuring in to that equation.
4 Defensive Linemen Among the Roster Cuts
One of the more established names on the cut list is defensive lineman Henry Mondeaux, who entered the league in 2018 and appeared in a total of 26 games during the past two seasons. Yet he fell to the bottom of the depth chart this summer in the wake of a handful of upgrades at defensive tackle and defensive end.
Also waived are twin brothers Carlos and Khalil Davis, one or both of whom is a good candidate for the practice squad.
Carlos Davis was a seventh-round pick of the Steelers in 2020 and appeared in 11 games during his first two seasons in the NFL. His twin brother, Khalil, was drafted a round earlier (No. 194 overall) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Pittsburgh signed Khalil to its practice squad in early November 2021 and inked him to a one-year Reserve/Futures contract in January 2022.
The Steelers also released linebacker Buddy Johnson, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 draft out of Texas A&M (No. 140 overall). He appeared in four games during his rookie year and was credited with two tackles.
The other cuts on the defensive side of the ball were: defensive backs Elijah Riley, Chris Steele and Linden Stephens; linebackers Ron’Dell Carter, Hamilcar Rashed, Delontae Scott and James Vaughters; plus defensive lineman Donovan Jeter. The release of Rashed is something of a surprise, considering that the Steelers previously cut the outside linebacker ahead of him on the depth chart, that being Genard Avery.
5 Steelers Offensive Linemen Released, Too
Meanwhile, the Steelers also elected to jettison five offensive linemen, including former Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Adrian Ealy, who was inked a little more than a week ago, on August 22. Then there’s offensive guard John Leglue, whose release was first reported by Brooke Pryor of ESPN.
“Steelers are in a bit of a bind these days at OT and John Leglue hasn’t repped anywhere but guard lately,” noted Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Offensive linemen William Dunkle, Chaz Green and Ryan McCollum were the other three offensive linemen who were cut.
As for the skill position players, Max Borghi was the only RB waived, a “bowling ball” of a back who was signed to the 90-man roster on August 18. Tight ends Kevin Rader and former Packers third-round pick Jace Sternberger were also released, with Rader a casualty of the promise offered by 2022 sixth-round pick Connor Heyward.
The Steelers also waived wide receivers Tyler Snead, Tyler Vaughns and Cody White. The release of White is notable, as his father, Sheldon White, works in the team’s personnel department.
Last but not least, defensive back Carlins Platel was waived/injured. Platel had successful surgery to address a leg injury suffered in last Sunday’s preseason finale vs. the Detroit Lions.