Several former Pittsburgh Steelers players might not get the chance to play spring football in the hopes of re-entering the NFL later this year. On Thursday, the UFL trimmed down rosters before the start of its 2025 season at the end of the month. The long list included a handful of one-time Steelers now looking for a new home.
The former Steelers waived were: DB Nevelle Clark, TE Marcus Baugh, CB Isaiah Johnson, WR Jacob Copeland, EDGE Quincy Roche, CB Kalon Barnes, WR Andy Isabella and S Dravon Askew-Henry.
None of the players listed appeared in regular-season action with Pittsburgh. Roche and Isabella are the two most notable NFL names. A sixth-round pick of Pittsburgh in 2021, Roche had two stints with the Steelers but failed to stick, losing out to Jamir Jones during his rookie year. Roche appeared in 17 games for the New York Giants across the 2021 and 2022 seasons, recording 2.5 sacks as a rookie.
Isabella was once a high-pedigree draft pick, selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. His 2020 season was most productive, catching 21 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns. Since then, he’s bounced around rosters including a two-week stint on the Steelers’ practice squad in 2024.
Copeland had two stops with Pittsburgh, spending chunks of the 2023 season on the practice squad and the 2024 offseason with the team. He was waived during final cutdowns. Barnes’ 4.23 speed hasn’t been able to carve out an NFL career. Like Copeland, he had stints with the Steelers and was part of the team’s training camp roster. But he suffered an injury and was released with an injury settlement.
Clark spent a portion of the 2023 training camp with Pittsburgh, signed mid-way through after injuries hit the secondary. Baugh shares a similar story, signed in 2021 and spending the summer with the team. Johnson spent a week on Pittsburgh’s practice squad in 2021 and signed for the following offseason but was placed on injured reserve that May and released in June.
Askew-Henry hasn’t been a Steeler since 2019, signed as an undrafted free agent, but is still looking to get his foot back in the NFL door. He’s best known for being cousins with Darrelle Revis.
Other notable names waived yesterday include OL D.J. Fluker, RB Lynn Bowden, WR Kyle Sheets and DT Jaylen Twyman. Fluker is a first-round pick with nearly 100 starts. Bowden was selected in the third round but traded before his rookie season began. Sheets is a local product from Slippery Rock, while Twyman played at Pitt and was taken in the sixth round by the Minnesota Vikings. His career was interrupted after being shot in 2021.
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