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The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t wasting any time addressing what has quickly become a depth concern in their secondary. Within a matter of days, Pittsburgh has added two cornerbacks to its 53-man roster from other teams’ practice squads, first signing veteran Sean Murphy-Bunting from Tampa Bay before adding Terell Smith from Washington.
Neither move should come as much of a surprise considering how quickly the Steelers’ cornerback situation has changed. Pittsburgh recently traded Joey Porter Jr., while Jamel Dean left Thursday night’s 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns with an injury. Dean’s absence forced rookie Daylen Everette into a much larger role than anticipated, and with Robert Spears-Jennings also receiving significant playing time, the Steelers got another reminder of how quickly their depth can be tested.
Rather than waiting to see how the situation develops, Pittsburgh has responded by adding two players with NFL starting experience. Murphy-Bunting provides the veteran résumé, while Smith gives the Steelers another younger option who has already spent meaningful time on an NFL defense.
Of the two additions, Murphy-Bunting is easily the more accomplished player. The 29-year-old has appeared in 82 NFL games with 65 starts since entering the league as Tampa Bay’s second-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has 11 career interceptions, 34 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Murphy-Bunting also brings considerable postseason experience from his first stint in Tampa Bay. He was part of the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LV championship team and started at cornerback in their victory over Kansas City, finishing that game with six tackles and a pass defensed.
After four seasons with Tampa Bay, Murphy-Bunting signed with Tennessee in 2023 and started all 14 games in which he appeared. He moved on to Arizona the following year and remained a regular starter, appearing in 15 games and intercepting three passes before his career was interrupted by an injury that cost him the entire 2025 season.
Murphy-Bunting returned to Tampa Bay this year on the Buccaneers’ practice squad before Pittsburgh signed him to its active roster. His recent injury history is worth keeping in mind, but so is the amount of experience the Steelers are adding. This isn’t a player who has spent his career bouncing between practice squads: Murphy-Bunting has been a regular NFL starter and gives Pittsburgh a veteran option at a position where the available depth has suddenly been tested.
Smith comes to Pittsburgh with considerably less experience than Murphy-Bunting, but he isn’t completely unproven either. Chicago selected him in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Minnesota, and he appeared in 26 games with six starts during his first two seasons on the field.
During that time, Smith totaled 68 tackles, four tackles for loss, 10 passes defensed, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. At 6-foot and over 200 pounds, he also gives Pittsburgh another physical option on the outside rather than simply adding another defensive back to the bottom of the roster.
Like Murphy-Bunting, however, Smith is attempting to work his way back after losing an entire season to injury. A knee injury landed him on injured reserve for the 2025 season, and after his time with Chicago came to an end, he joined Washington’s practice squad at the beginning of this season. The Steelers have now signed him directly to their active roster.
Smith doesn’t arrive with the same résumé as Murphy-Bunting, but six previous NFL starts and two seasons of defensive experience make him more than an unknown developmental player. His experience playing on the boundary could also become particularly useful depending on Dean’s availability moving forward.
The timing of both additions may be the most interesting part of these moves. Pittsburgh entered the season with what appeared to be considerable depth in the secondary, but that picture has changed quickly. Porter is no longer on the roster, Dean’s injury adds another question and Everette was suddenly called upon for extended snaps against Cleveland.
That makes adding Murphy-Bunting and Smith less about finding an immediate replacement for one specific player and more about making sure the Steelers have enough experienced options available if their secondary continues to be tested. There’s no guarantee either newcomer immediately steps into a major defensive role, and both are coming off seasons lost to injury, so how quickly they can get comfortable will be something to watch.
Still, Pittsburgh clearly wasn’t interested in standing pat. In Murphy-Bunting, the Steelers add a corner with 65 NFL starts and championship experience. In Smith, they get a younger player who has already started games on the outside and could provide additional defensive and special teams depth.
For a secondary suddenly dealing with more questions than it had just a few weeks ago, adding both gives the Steelers something they badly needed: options.
The two cornerback additions have been part of a busy stretch of roster movement for Pittsburgh. Murphy-Bunting’s signing coincided with defensive lineman Derrick Harmon being placed on injured reserve after suffering an injury Thursday against Cleveland. The Steelers also added linebacker Marte Mapu to the practice squad and waived Doneiko Slaughter from the active roster.
Along with signing Smith, Pittsburgh brought linebacker K.J. Henry back to its practice squad and released linebacker Bradyn Swinson. Henry is already familiar with the organization after spending time on Pittsburgh’s practice squad in 2025. The former Clemson defender has appeared in 14 NFL games with three starts and has recorded 22 tackles and two-and-a-half sacks.
But the most notable activity remains at cornerback. Adding one experienced player could have been viewed as routine depth maintenance following Dean’s injury. Adding two in a matter of days shows the Steelers aren’t interested in leaving themselves short-handed while waiting to see how their secondary situation develops.
After watching two rookie defensive backs handle significant responsibilities against Cleveland, Pittsburgh is adding some insurance before that depth is tested again.
