The Pittsburgh Steelers made the surprising decision to release S Trenton Thompson early in the offseason, but on the heels of former QB Chris Oladokun’s comments about Mike Tomlin and the Steelers releasing him to let him catch on with another team, The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly believes that same reason is why Pittsburgh released Thompson and WR Denzel Mims.
“I think they just did that at the end of OTAs, they let a couple guys go and I think Trenton Thompson maybe and I believe someone else so they can go catch on somewhere else real quick,” Kaboly said on The PM Team on 93.7 The Fan.
Assuming the other person he meant was Mims, then the Steelers did do him a solid by letting him go early, as he caught on with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Thompson still remains a free agent, which is slightly surprising given that he put some good things on tape for the Steelers last season. He had an interception, 3 passes defensed and 22 tackles for Pittsburgh. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he gets picked up somewhere in the near future, especially if teams need extra safety depth during training camp.
It’s a good thing that the Steelers do to cut a player loose and give them a better opportunity on the free agency market, and it’s something that the team previously did with Oladokun two years ago. Oladokun ended up in a great situation with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he’s served as the team’s third quarterback and won two Super Bowl rings. He’ll once again be Kansas City’s third quarterback this year, as the team added Carson Wentz in free agency to backup Patrick Mahomes.
Mims will compete with a Jaguars team that added Gabe Davis in free agency and Brian Thomas Jr. in the draft, and it’s going to be tough for him to find a spot on the 53-man roster. Still, the former second-round pick has some pedigree and could look to impress in training camp. He could either stick with Jacksonville or potentially find an opportunity elsewhere.
The Steelers likely won’t be too busy with roster moves between now and training camp, but if the team does make any surprise cuts in the coming weeks, it might just be because they want to give the player a better opportunity if they won’t make Pittsburgh’s roster. That’s something that will endear them to players around the league.
