The Pittsburgh Steelers today brought back defensive lineman Renell Wren to their practice squad while waiving wide receiver Josh Malone from the practice squad, the team announced on Twitter today.
Wren was signed to the practice squad on September 2nd but was then waived on November 23rd to make room for the team’s signing of wide receiver JaMarcus Bradley and running back Master Teague. This is now the 2nd time Malone has been waived from the practice squad. He was originally signed by Pittsburgh on October 18 but was waived on October 29th to make room for kicker Nick Sciba, who was signed in the wake of Chris Boswell’s injury. He was re-signed on November 8th after the team waived outside linebacker Ryan Anderson and Sciba when they brought kicker Matthew Wright up to the 53-man roster.
The signing of wide receiver Ja’Marcus Bradley last week lessened the need for Malone on the roster. Both provide added depth at the position while also having experience as return men in the NFL. In fact, the two both worked out for Pittsburgh on October 11. There isn’t necessarily a need for two similar players on the practice squad, and the Steelers clearly value the depth that Wren, a former fourth-round pick, brings to the team.
Wren’s appeared in 12 games in his NFL career and logged nine career tackles. He was a former draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals, getting drafted in the fourth round in 2019. Ironically, Malone is also a former Bengals fourth-round pick, getting selected by the Steelers’ AFC North rivals in 2017.
We’ll see if the team keeps tabs on Malone, but for now, it seems the team prefers Bradley as added receiver/return depth.
