The Pittsburgh Steelers are adding depth along the offensive line, reportedly signing Houston Texans’ OT Jerald Hawkins off their practice squad and to the Steelers’ active roster, according to this tweet from Aaron Wilson.
Hawkins was drafted by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. Pittsburgh traded him at roster cutdowns to Tampa Bay last season for a conditional 7th round pick. Houston signed Hawkins on August 10th.
Hawkins was a talented prospect out of LSU but has seen his career derailed by injury. He struggled in the Steelers’ 2019 camp after missing all of 2018 with a torn quad, never looking healthy during the summer before getting traded.
Pittsburgh suffered two offensive line injuries last night, losing Stefen Wisniewski and Zach Banner. Banner will reportedly miss the season with a torn ACL. David DeCastro also missed the game with a knee injury suffered during training camp.
UPDATE (6:48 PM): The PPG’s Gerry Dulac is disputing Wilson’s report, saying the team hasn’t signed Hawkins.
Hawkins contract has been terminated by the Texans, according to the official NFL transaction sheet.
