For some reason, teams around the league chose yesterday to make moves involving former members of the Pittsburgh Steelers. While you are already amply aware of the fact that the New York Giants have waived Tuzar Skipper, they also released Keion Adams from the Reserve/Injured List.
And while they were looking to get rid of former Steelers, others worked on adding them. Former 2010 third-round pick Emmanuel Sanders is headed to the third team of his professional career after the Denver Broncos traded him to the San Francisco 49ers. In addition to that significant trade, 2019 sixth-round pick, outside linebacker Sutton Smith, signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad.
Smith is the second former Steeler to join this Jaguars this offseason, of course, after they acquired third-year quarterback Joshua Dobbs via trade, giving Pittsburgh a fifth-round draft pick (the Steelers then traded a fifth-round pick for Nick Vannett). So let’s review.
The big move was obviously Sanders. The two-time Pro Bowler (both with the Broncos) is in his 10th season and coming off an injury that ended his 2018 campaign prematurely, but he has played in every game this season, working with Joe Flacco at quarterback. He has caught 30 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns, and could be an important piece for Jimmy Garoppolo and the undefeated 49ers.
As for Smith, the Steelers were wowed by his pass-rushing tape in college, but that was in an FCS school at Northern Illinois. He was an undersized lineman there trying to play as an undersized outside linebacker in Pittsburgh. frequent and nagging injuries prevented him from having much of a chance of sticking, yet coincidentally now the Steelers are likely in the market for help at the position.
Adams was yet another one of their late-round additions at outside linebacker, a 2017 seventh-round pick. While he spent his rookie season on the Reserve/Injured List after suffering a shoulder injury in training camp, he ended up on the practice squad last year.
Back in the Spring, he was waived following rookie minicamp in order to make room for…Tuzar Skipper, an undrafted rookie invitee to that camp. He made it all the way onto the initial 53-man roster, but the Steelers tried to do some fancy maneuvering and ended up losing him on waivers.
Now he’s back on waivers, Pittsburgh likely hoping to get him back, but there are several teams ahead of him in the waiver order who may also have some level of interest in him.
