2024 Steelers Season Recall: Roster cuts surprise ahead of season’s start
Steel City Underground presents our 2024 Steelers Recall: a look back at Pittsburgh Steelers games and storylines from last season.
One of the more unpleasant things to cover in the world of football is the break between the final preseason game and the start of the regular season, as 32 NFL teams begin trimming their offseason rosters from as many as 91 players down to what will become their 53-man roster. Some additional players may be fortunate to sign on with a practice squad, but for those on this special exempted part of the roster – and a few at the bottom of the 53 – it’s a constant struggle to remain in the league.
As hundreds of players are released to be in compliance with NFL rules, there are surprises everywhere. Young players who didn’t live up to their billing or older veterans who are no longer a fit with their franchise are suddenly out of work.
The Steelers aren’t immune to these types of transactions. While the 2024 roster cuts weren’t as harsh as some in previous years, there was still plenty of speculation about roster moves and who would make the team. Let’s revisit some of those transactions in this week’s Recall column.
Dean Lowry and Logan Lee
Want to know how surprising it is that Lowry and Lee made the team? At the time, Getty Images didn’t have a photo of either player, in a Steelers uniform, that we could use with this subheading!
Lowry, an eight-year NFL veteran, had a quiet preseason, participating in about half of each exhibition game. Lee, a sixth-round draft pick this season, did not play in the team’s preseason finale. It was speculated that both players could get cut, as the this pair of defensive linemen expands the group from six to eight.
If anything, it appeared to be an either/or situation, but it’s possible the Steelers didn’t want to risk exposing Lee to waivers. As it would turn out, neither player would contribute much during the regular season. Lowry appeared in twelve games, tallying a single sack and five combined tackles. Lee would be placed on the injured reserve list shortly after the first wave of releases were made. He would not play during the 2024 season.
Three True Tight Ends
There was no doubt that Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington would make the team. Connor Heyward, who is denoted as a dual position player (FB/TE) was also favored to make the cut.
Would the Steelers keep an additional, true tight end beyond the top two? It appears the answer was yes, as a favorite of new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith made the cut. MyCole Pruitt, was a 32-year-old veteran entering his eleventh NFL season. The Steelers were his sixth team, and third that he’s played for under Smith.
Fullback Jack Colletto was released, creating a spot for Pruitt to make the team.
Ryan Watts & Jalen Elliott
Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game. That appears to hold true for the Steelers other sixth round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, Ryan Watts, who limped off of field in Detroit. The Steelers announced that he was placed on injured reserve, without designation to return, ending his season.
Watts was having a great summer throughout training camp and the preseason, so while the news is a setback for his career, it opened the door for a fellow defensive back who was also competition for a roster spot.
Jalen Elliott really started to standout as the “real” game action got thick over the last few weeks of the summer. Unfortunately for both, their time with the Steelers was brief. Watts retired from football one month ago after being diagnosed with an injury that prevents him from playing. Elliott would be released on October 1st after dressing for two games as a special teams contributor.
Injured Reserve, PUP, and Suspension Designations
Dylan Cook and Jeremiah Moon were both listed as injured reserve players with a designation to return.
The rules allow NFL teams to designate up to eight players to return off of the injured reserve list. In the past, teams would have to cut other players, allow their injured players to make the team (such as Cook or Moon) and then place Cook or Moon on IR to free up a roster spot to re-sign the other released players.
The league simplified this transaction mess for the 2024 season by giving teams the option to designate players for return before the season begins, forgoing the release/re-sign patter of the past. That means Cook and Moon’s seasons aren’t over. However, this wasn’t the case for players such as Ryan Watts, Nate Herbig, Breiden Fehoko, Grayland Arnold, and Julius Welschof, who were all placed on IR without a designation to return.
Cook made the team but was inactive for game days in 2023. He would provide depth at the tackle position, while Moon was listed on the team’s depth chart as the primary backup behind OLB T.J. Watt. Both Cook and Moon had to be on the injured reserve list for four games before a 21-day practice window could be opened to activate the player to the full roster. Moon would be activeated on October 5th while Cook was waived on October 31st and then re-signed to the practice squad on November 4th.
As for Cole Holcomb‘s situation, the starting inside linebacker in 2023 was still recovering from a knee injury sustained the previous November, and started camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. He was moved over to the same to start the 2024 season, but would never be activated. (Holcomb restructured his contract to return for the upcoming 2025 season.)
CB Cameron Sutton was on the Reserve/Suspended by Commissioner list while serving an eight game suspension due to off-field issues from earlier in the year. He was reinstated and returned to the Steelers in Week 9, playing in nine games.
Final Roster List
Below is the final list of the players who initially made the Pittsburgh Steelers 53-man roster, along with all of the various cuts from the wire.
Our initial 53-man roster ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/O4WAcdFDe0
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 27, 2024
| Date | Note |
|---|---|
| 08/20/24 | Placed G Nate Herbig on the Reserve/Injured List, signed LB Kyahva Tezino and DL Marcus Haynes, and terminated CB Anthony Averett. |
| 08/26/24 | Released DB Kyler McMichael, K Matthew Wright, and OL Anderson Hardy. |
| 08/26/24 | Released DB Kiondre Thomas, DL Marquiss Spencer, LB Kyahva Tezino, OL Tyler Beach, OL Devery Hamilton, RB Daijun Edwards, WR Jacob Copeland, and WR T.J. Luther. |
| 08/27/24 | Waived LB Kyron Johnson, LB Luquay Washington, LB Jacoby Windmon, LB Marcus Haynes, DB Zyon Gilbert, DB Thomas Graham, DL Willington Previlon, DL Jacob Slade, OL Tykeem Doss, OL Joey Fisher, QB John Rhys Plumlee, RB Aaron Shampklin, RB Jack Colletto, TE Matt Sokol, TE Rodney Williams, WR Jaray Jenkins, WR Duece Watts, and WR Dez Fitzpatrick; Terminated, Vested Veteran WR Quez Watkins, RB La’Mical Perine, and RB Jonathan Ward; Placed DB Ryan Watts and LB Julius Welschof on Reserve/Injured List; Placed on OL Dylan Cook and LB Jeremiah Moon on Reserve/Injured List (Designated for Return); Placed LB Cole Holcomb on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List |
| 08/29/24 | Signed DB Anthony Averett, DB Zyon Gilbert, DB Thomas Graham, DL Jacob Slade, FB Jack Colletto, LB Marcus Haynes, RB Jonathan Ward, and TE Rodney Williams to the practice squad. |
| 08/30/24 | Added WR Quez Watkins to the practice squad. |
| 08/30/24 | Signed LB Devin Harper, LB Adetokunbo Ogundeji, OL John Leglue, OL Doug Nester, RB Boston Scott, WR Brandon Johnson, and WR Ben Skowronek to the practice squad. |
| 09/02/24 | Signed DB Ayo Oyelola to the practice squad. |
| 09/03/24 | Signed DT Cameron Heyward to a new three-year contract. |
| 09/04/24 | Placed RB Boston Scott on the Practice Squad/Injured List and signed RB Aaron Shampklin to the Practice Squad. |
| 09/06/24 | Signed TE Pat Freiermuth to a new five-year contract. |
| 09/07/24 | Placed DL Logan Lee on the Reserve/Injured List and elevated WR Ben Skowronek from the Practice Squad to the Active/Inactive roster. |
