The Pittsburgh Steelers waived cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke and guard Justin Cheadle injured on Sunday, and now both have cleared waivers Tuesday and reverted back to the injured reserve list.
Strangely enough, both players suffered serious hamstring injuries that led to them being waived injured.
Van Dyke never got a chance to show what he could do on defense after being signed just prior to the start of the 2012 season following his release from the Oakland Raiders. In addition, he didn’t do himself any favors last year when he was flagged fives times on special teams in a matter of four games.
Just when it looked like he might actually see some playing time on defense late last year in the game against the Dallas Cowboys, Van Dyke injured his shoulder early in the game on special teams and was lost for the remainder of the year.
Cheadle, who ended the 2012 season on the Steelers practice squad, played right guard and center with the second-team unit in the preseason opener against the New York Giants prior to him suffering his injury in practice the following week. While he wasn’t a lock to make the 53 man roster, it was looking good that he would at the very least make the practice squad once again.
Now that both players have reverted back to the Steelers injured reserve list they will continue to be monitored by the team’s medical staff. The Steelers could decide to release both with an injury settlement if they decide not to hold onto them until fully healthy.
