John Rhys Plumlee
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The Pittsburgh Steelers signed three players, including former quarterback John Rhys Plumlee, to their practice squad Wednesday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers continued to make roster adjustments with a matchup looming against the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts in Week 9. On Wednesday, the Steelers notably added a former quarterback, John Rhys Plumlee, to their practice squad.
Plumlee played quarterback for Ole Miss and UCF over five college seasons from 2019-23.
Compared to New Orleans Saints’ Taysom Hill, Plumlee went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. Plumlee is now trying to make an NFL career at wide receiver.
“Teams could choose to use him as a QB3 with gadget potential on short-yardage and red-zone snaps, but learning to run routes could expand his NFL versatility and allow creative play-callers to find a role for him,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in Plumlee’s draft profile.
The Steelers also signed safety Darrick Forrest and offensive lineman Jack Driscoll to their practice squad Tuesday.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday the Steelers added Forrest to the practice squad.
Steelers Sign WR John Rhys Plumlee to Practice Squad
This will actually be Plumlee’s second stint with the Steelers. Following the 2024 NFL Draft, the Steelers signed Plumlee as an undrafted free agent.
However, he didn’t make the Steelers roster after training camp.
Last season, he spent time on the Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks practice squads. On January 2, Seattle signed Plumlee to its active roster as a receiver.
Plumlee remained with the Seahawks until the team waived him on August 26 with an injury designation.
This will be the wideout’s first opportunity back on an NFL roster since then. He has yet to appear in an NFL regular season game.
In five college seasons, Plumlee completed 61.1% of his passes and averaged 7.7 yards per pass. He also had 34 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
At UCF, Plumlee posted a pair of 2,000-yard passing seasons to end his career. In 2023, he averaged 8.9 yards per attempt with 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Plumlee rushed for 2,556 yards and 28 touchdowns in his college career as well. At Ole Miss in 2021, he registered 19 catches for 201 yards.
He didn’t score a receiving touchdown in college, but Plumlee averaged 11.4 yards per reception.
Steelers Add Safety, Offensive Line Depth
Along with Plumlee, the Steelers signed Forrest and Driscoll to the practice squad. News that the team was adding Forrest surfaced Tuesday.
In his weekly press conference Tuesday, head coach Mike Tomlin classified starting safety DeShon Elliott as week-to-week. But the veteran will miss Week 9, and the Steelers appear to be bracing for him being out longer.
In addition to signing Forrest, the team also acquired New England Patriots safety Kyle Dugger on Tuesday night.
Steelers act fast after DeShon Elliott injury.
Hang-up has been Dugger's $9.75M salary, but it's my understanding the Patriots are helping with some of the remaining salary. https://t.co/P4anBLRXhT
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 29, 2025
Forrest has quite a bit of starting experience. He appeared in 40 games for the Washington franchise from 2021-24. He started 17 games overall, including 11 during the 2022 campaign.
In 2022, Forrest posted 88 combined tackles, including one tackle for loss with nine pass defenses, two forced fumbles and four interceptions.
With Driscoll, the Steelers are adding yet another player with multiple years of NFL experience.
Driscoll has started at least one game over each of the past five years. In 2021, he started nine contests at guard for the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2024, he dressed for 13 contests in Philadelphia, where he won a Super Bowl ring.
Overall, Driscoll has started 18 NFL games. The Steelers have added the veteran lineman with starting left guard Isaac Seumalo dealing with a pectoral injury he sustained in Week 8.