In one of the expected moves of the offseason, whether it was going to happen before or after training camp is the question, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced the release of safety J.J. Wilcox.
Wilcox’s fate was sealed after the team drafted two safeties over the weekend, selecting Terrell Edmunds in the first and Marcus Allen in the fifth. Wilcox’s $3.125 million base salary had a lot to do with the decision as well.
Traded from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last preseason for a 6th round pick. Wilcox was an unproductive move. His work at safety was middling, though to his credit, he did intercept one pass, but after the group got healthy, his repeated mistakes on special teams made him friends with the bench, inactive for most of the rest of the season.
Locks for the roster at safety include: Morgan Burnett, Sean Davis, Edmunds, and I assume it’s safe to keep Nat Berhe in that camp as well. Allen will be the favorite for the #5 spot with only Malik Golden, returning after suffering a groin injury last season, there to really offer a push.
