The Steelers got a head start on their roster cuts before today’s deadline, so they only needed to cut 17 to get down to 53 today. Here are the transactions the made to get it done:
Released:
Waived:
DT Kyler Baugh
G Steven Jones
T Doug Nester
CB Doneiko Slaughter
LB Julius Welschof
Placed of IR (designated to return):
Placed on reserve/PUP:
CB Donte Kent
Activated from active/PUP:
On a day in which the Steelers parted ways with Harrison, Lowry, and Roberts, the defense at least gets back Porter. It’s unclear if Porter and the Steelers have cleared the air on his contract issues. As the two sides have been at an impasse in Porter’s extension negotiations, it got to a point at which teams believed he could be available for a trade. With Porter off the injured list, he’ll have to decide if he will play on a contract year without an extension.
Like a few other teams this year, the Steelers will roll into the 2026 season with four quarterbacks on the roster, as expected. As Aaron Rodgers carries out his final NFL season, Mason Rudolph will operate as his primary backup with Will Howard and Drew Allar behind them. After trading away Kaleb Johnson and cutting Homer and Nichols, it’ll be Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle, and seventh-round rookie Eli Heidenreich holding it down at running back.
The defensive line features much of the usual crew for Pittsburgh, and sixth-round rookie Gabriel Rubio is joined by the undrafted rookie on the roster Kevin Jobity Jr. In the secondary, we’ll see how soon Porter rejoins the defense, but the veteran safety, Elliott, will miss at least the first few weeks of the season.