Abbie Parr/Getty Images Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks looks to throw the ball while pressured by Emeke Egbule of the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the market for an offensive lineman and a linebacker. Or at least the team worked out a half-dozen players who play those positions, including three offensive guards, an offensive tackle, and a pair of outside linebackers.
Emeke Egbule Was a 2019 6th-Round Pick
The edge rushers in question are Emeke Egbule and Blake Lynch, the former of whom was a 2019 6th-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers and the latter of whom played for the Minnesota Vikings in 2020-21.
Egbule, 26, spent the first three years of his NFL career with the Chargers, who drafted him No. 200 overall in 2019 out of Houston. He has appeared in a total of 32 regular-season games and has been credited with 13 tackles (nine solo) and a pair of quarterback hits. But he has played mostly on special teams (370 snaps total), with only 96 career snaps on defense, as per Pro Football Reference (PFR).
Lynch, 25, spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the Vikings after playing collegiately at Baylor. All told he appeared in 20 games for Minnesota (with seven starts) and has been credited with 47 total tackles (31 solo), with one interception, two sacks, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery, according to PFR. This year he failed to make Minnesota’s 53-man roster out of training camp and went on to spend a portion of this season on the Arizona Cardinals practice squad.
Danny Isidora Returns to the Steelers
Meanwhile, the Steelers also brought in a pair of offensive linemen for visits — and tried out a pair of offensive guards. The visitors were guard Danny Isidora, a former 5th-round pick of the Vikings, and tackle Liam Ryan, a former undrafted free agent out of Washington State.
Isidora, 28, spent time with the Steelers in Dec. 2020 after Pittsburgh plucked him off Kansas City’s practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster a week later but did not appear in a game.
Ryan, 25, is a rookie undrafted free agent who signed with the Seahawks after the 2022 draft and went on to spend time on Seattle’s practice squad.
The two guards who came in for tryouts were Willie Wright, 26, a former undrafted free agent out of Tulsa who has spent time with the Browns, Falcons and Titans.
Last but not least, there’s Mike Horton, 26, who played his college football at Auburn and has three games of regular-season experience, all of which came with the Carolina Panthers in 2021.
2 Ex-Steelers Just Found New Jobs
On Wed. Nov. 23, Chicago signed cornerback Breon Borders to its practice squad, as per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.
Bears worked out Clint Ratkovich, Breon Borders (signed)
Borders signed with the Steelers in April 2020; he earned a starting job with the Titans later that year. The 27-year-old has played in 31 career regular-season games with four different teams and has been credited with 42 tackles, seven passes defensed, one interception and a fumble recovery.
Meanwhile, tight end Nick Vannett has signed to the New York Giants practice squad. Vannett spent the 2019 season with the Steelers after being acquired in a trade from Seattle. In 13 games he produced 13 catches for 128 receiving yards.