(Dylan Buell/Getty Images Reid Sinnett of the Miami Dolphins throws a pass while being chased by Renell Wren of the Cincinnati Bengals during a preseason game on August 29, 2021.
A day after the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Indianapolis Colts to win their fourth game of the season, the team made a tweak to its practice squad by signing defensive tackle Renell Wren.
Wren — a 4th-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019 — originally joined the Steelers in early September. The former Arizona State Sun Devil has been on the practice squad for most of this season, having been released a week ago when Pittsburgh signed running back Master Teague III and wide receiver Ja’Marcus Bradley.
Wren — who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 318 pounds — appeared in 11 games for the Bengals during his rookie year and recorded eight tackles before landing on injured reserve near the end of the season. He went on to miss all of 2020 with a quadriceps injury but returned in 2021, spending nearly the entire year on the practice squad before playing 43 snaps in Cincinnati’s season-finale versus the Cleveland Browns.
To make room for Wren the Steelers waived another former Bengals 4th-round pick, namely wide receiver Josh Malone.
Malone — 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds — originally joined Pittsburgh’s practice squad on Oct. 18, 2022, after beating out two other wide receivers during a midseason tryout. But he was waived from the practice squad in late October when the Steelers needed his spot for placekicker Nick Sciba, who filled in for Chris Boswell (groin) for a week before the team could onboard Matthew Wright.
Buccaneers Terminate the Contract of DT Khalil Davis
Meanwhile, on Tuesday the Tampa Bay Buccaneers terminated the practice squad contract of defensive lineman Khalil Davis.
Khalil Davis was a Buccaneers 6th-round pick in 2020 and won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay as a rookie. Last November he signed to Pittsburgh’s practice squad and he practiced alongside his brother, Carlos, until the Steelers waived Khalil just prior to the 2022 regular season. But he found his way back onto Tampa Bay’s roster in September.
Giants Re-Sign Former Steelers Draft Pick Quincy Roche
Also on Tuesday the New York Giants added former Steelers linebacker Quincy Roche to the team’s practice squad, this according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.
Giants signed Devery Hamilton, Trenton Thompson, Quincy Roche to practice squad, cut Robert Foster from practice squad
Roche, 24, has been with the Giants for most of the past two seasons, having appeared in a total of 17 games (with three starts), as per Pro Football Reference.
The Steelers drafted Roche in the 6th round of the 2021 draft (No. 216 overall) out of the University of Miami. Viewed as one of the “steals” of the 2021 draft, the Steelers waived him during the team’s final round of roster cuts, seemingly hoping to sign him to the practice squad. But Pittsburgh lost him to the Giants a day later when New York claimed him on waivers.
Roche went on to have an impactful rookie year with the Giants, recording 38 tackles (23 solo), including five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, five quarterback hits and a forced fumble.
Nevertheless, he faced an uphill battle to make the Giants’ 2022 roster, owing to a new regime taking over in New York. And though he failed to make the team out of training camp, he has been on New York’s active roster or practice squad for almost the entire season.