Along with the rest of the league, the Pittsburgh Steelers sent a bunch of their own players to the waiver wire yesterday in order to comply with league rules requiring them to reduce their active roster to 53 by 4 PM. Pittsburgh would like to have several of them back to re-sign to the practice squad, but they have to go unclaimed by 31 other teams through the waivers process first.
The Steelers will be scanning the waiver wire just as much as any other team, even if they might feel that they have a deeper roster than they might normally have. The fact that they currently have two punters on the roster and may trade one in exchange for draft picks makes the idea of them claiming a player off waivers even more enticing to consider, since they wouldn’t even have to release anybody to make room.
If they do intend to put in any waiver claims, they will have to wait and cross their fingers. Though it is not new news it’s worth noting that the Steelers hold the 17th-highest priority claim in waivers, meaning that 16 other teams have to decide not to put in a claim for a player in order for Pittsburgh to successfully claim him.
The waiver claim priority list at this time of year works the same as the NFL Draft order, with the exception that nobody can have their priority taken away as punishment. In other words, those who pay attention to such things shouldn’t be surprised to learn where the Steelers reside in the pecking order. They held the 17th-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Of course, they did not draft 17th. They ended up moving up three spots to 14 in order to draft T Broderick Jones, who is expected to enter his rookie season as the backup left tackle behind incumbent Dan Moore Jr. following a strong offseason.
While the Steelers have surely put in waiver claims at this time of year, they have not been awarded a player since 2016 when they successfully submitted a claim for QB Zach Mettenberger. It is no longer required for teams to have their waiver submissions reported, so there is certainly a lot we don’t know.
With the Steelers typically in the 20s within the priority list, it’s no surprise that they don’t frequently land waiver claims. If they do not successfully claim one this year, it will be seven straight years without one.
The Steelers also claimed DE Caushaud Lyons off waivers in 2015, CB B.W. Webb in 2014, and CB Antwon Blake and TE Michael Palmer in 2013. Since then, they have been more likely to address roster holes via trade, so perhaps former general manager Kevin Colbert just got more cautious over the years rather than leaving things to chance.
