New Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling will wear No. 11 for the team. Officially signed to the team’s practice squad on Wednesday, Valdes-Scantling appears to be the only wide receiver help the team is getting during the season.
Per the team site, practice squad LB Mark Robinson will wear No. 57 in his second stint with the team. His former No. 93 jersey is occupied by DL Esezi Otomewo. New CB Daequan Hardy will wear No. 31, taking CB Beanie Bishop’s practice squad spot and jersey number.
Pittsburgh failed to make any trades during Tuesday’s deadline, watching as Jakobi Meyers was dealt to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Rashid Shaheed moved to the Seattle Seahawks. Despite a wave of speculation and belief that Pittsburgh would add an external name, Valdes-Scantling is the only addition.
As the tweet above notes, WR Brandon Johnson was the last Steeler to wear that number. He spent 2024 and the 2025 offseason with Pittsburgh, impressing in the preseason with a nose for the end zone. He was waived/injured at cutdowns and released with an injury settlement in late August. The Steelers brought him back for a workout last month but opted against signing him. Two weeks later, he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad.
Notable names to wear No. 11 for the Steelers include WR Van Jefferson, WR Chase Claypool, WR Markus Wheaton, and QB Kent Graham.
Valdes-Scantling wore No. 11 once in his career, donning it in 2022 and 2023 with the Kansas City Chiefs. He won the Super Bowl both years with the team. Most recently, he wore No. 83 during his five-game stint with the San Francisco 49ers earlier this season, catching four passes for 40 yards.
During his Tuesday press conference, Mike Tomlin downplayed Valdes-Scantling’s addition and stopped well short of comparing it to last week’s trade for S Kyle Dugger. Still, Valdes-Scantling has had a productive career and spent three years as QB Aaron Rodgers’ teammate in Green Bay. It’s possible Valdes-Scantling works his way onto the 53-man roster and carves out a role in the offense, albeit a limited one given the lack of targets for wide receiver in Arthur Smith’s scheme.
Pittsburgh can elevate Valdes-Scantling from the practice squad up to three times before needing to sign him to the 53-man roster. With Scotty Miller still nursing an injured finger, Valdes-Scantling figures to at least soak up plenty of practice reps this week. With good showings, he could begin earning the coaching staff’s trust by season’s end.
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