The Pittsburgh Steelers have released veteran safety Darrick Forrest from the practice squad, per reporter Aaron Wilson via the NFL’s transactions sheet. Forrest spent two weeks with the team after signing on October 29th to provide safety depth.
Forrest makes room for CB Asante Samuel Jr., who signed to the team’s practice squad after taking multiple NFL visits over the past week. He tried out for the Steelers today. Samuel will likely need time to get in football shape and learn the Steelers’ system, but he could be an asset for the team’s playoff push later this season.
Despite the team’s injuries, Forrest wasn’t elevated to the Active/Inactive roster. Pittsburgh has shuffled its safety room in recent days. Veteran Juan Thornhill was released from the 53-man roster to make room for UDFA Sebastian Castro, claimed off waivers after being poached by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in late September. Now, Forrest joins Thornhill in free agency once he passes through waivers.
Pittsburgh also has Jack Henderson on the practice squad, though he’s yet to appear in an NFL game. Jalen Ramsey, Chuck Clark, Jabrill Peppers, and Kyle Dugger make up the rest of the safety room. Peppers is still recovering from a quad injury, and his status for Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals is unclear.
A fifth-round draft pick of the Washington Commanders in 2021, Forrest appeared in 40 games with 17 starts. With Washington, he recorded 137 total tackles and four interceptions. All of his takeaways came in 2022 as an 11-game starter. He brought a special teams background, including logging 153 such snaps last season.
Forrest spent time with the Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts earlier this season. He beat out Vonn Bell and Eddie Jackson during a mid-week tryout with the Steelers and signed shortly before Halloween. Now, he’ll look to latch onto another team’s practice squad and sign a Reserve/Futures contract in the offseason.
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