The Pittsburgh Steelers have been awarded DL Manny Jones off waivers, per Aaron Wilson, who tweeted the news a short time ago. Jones was recently waived by the Arizona Cardinals.
Undrafted out of Colorado State in 2022, Jones signed with the Cardinals following last year’s draft. He appeared in four games as a rookie, logging 59 defensive snaps and recording six tackles. After being cut late in the summer, he spent most of the year on the team’s practice squad before being elevated late in the year. He made his debut in Week 9 but saw the bulk of his snaps over the final two weeks, logging 22 snaps in each of Week 17 and Week 18 with four total tackles.
In college, he was productive, recording 181 tackles (33 TFL) and 13.5 sacks across five seasons with the Rams. In 2022, he notched 45 tackles (six for a loss) and 2.5 sacks.
Listed at 6025, 280 pounds with 32 3/8-inch arms coming out of college, he ran 4.93 at his Pro Day with a 31-inch vertical and 9’8″ broad. He’ll provide defensive line depth this summer for the Steelers. While adding d-line depth might seem unusual at this stage, the team announced Tuesday DL Renell Wren is being placed on IR after suffering an injury.
Wren appeared in one game for Pittsburgh last season, logging exactly one snap. Jones will take his place as depth for training camp. He’ll fight the likes of Jonathan Marshall and others for a practice squad spot. Pittsburgh’s made plenty of changes to its defensive line this offseason, signing NTs Armon Watts and Breiden Fehoko while drafting NT Keeanu Benton. DE Chris Wormley remains a free agent after tearing his ACL late last season.
The Cardinals waived Jones yesterday following their three-day rookie minicamp. Look for a full scouting report on him in the near future.
