The Pittsburgh Steelers made a surprise transaction on Wednesday as Adam Caplan of ESPN is reporting that the team has placed linebacker Jordan Zumwalt on the Waived/Injured list.
#Steelers waived/injured LB Jordan Zumwalt.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) August 19, 2015
Zumwalt, who was drafted by the Steelers last year in the sixth-round out of UCLA, spent his entire rookie season on the team’s injured reserve list.
This year during training camp, Zumwalt reportedly suffered an unspecified injury. He will likely revert back to the Reserve/Injured list after clearing waivers.
The team filled the open roster spot by claiming linebacker L.J. Fort off waivers from the New England Patriots. Fort had previously played for the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks and Cincinnati Bengals. He was originally signed by the Browns was signed by the Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2012 out of Northern Iowa. Fort appeared in all 16 games with the Browns during his rookie season He recorded 20 tackles, one sack, one interception and three pass deflections.
The Steelers are currently very thin at the inside linebacker position as Lawrence Timmons and Vince Williams are both dealing with injuries. That has led to safety Ian Wild having to play inside linebacker during practices as he is familiar with position after playing it in the CFL.
