On Tuesday it was reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers had signed long snapper Matt Katula. Today we have the back end of that transaction as wide receiver Connor Dixon was placed on their Waived/Injured List.
In addition to that move that was made official today, the Steelers also announced that linebacker Brandon Johnson has been signed and that tight end Wes Lyons has been released. Johnson, who was brought in for a visit in early May, was originally drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing his college football at Louisville. He spent parts of two seasons with the Cardinals and signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2008, where he started 9 games at weak-side linebacker. He stayed with the Bengals through the 2011 season and started a total of 16 games for them over the course of 4 seasons. Johnson is a strong special teams contributor and was voted the Bengals special teams captain in 2010.
Lyons was with the Steelers during training camp last year as a wide receiver after being signed as an undrafted free agent. He was released prior to the start of the regular season. The Steelers signed him back to the off-season roster following the 2011 season and moved him to tight end. Dixon was signed as an undrafted free agent following the draft. He suffered some sort of leg or ankle injury during OTA sessions.
It was originally rumored that kicker Danny Hrapmann had been released to make room for Katula, because he was absent from mini-camp on Tuesday. Hrapmann and his wife are expecting any day now and that would explain his absence.
