The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed LB Tariq Carpenter to their practice squad, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston.
Carpenter played his college ball at Georgia Tech before being selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 7th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He played in 14 games for Green Bay as a rookie, registering eight total tackles. Most of his snaps came on special teams, with 122 special teams snaps and just 16 on defense. All eight of his tackles came on special teams, which tied for the sixth-most on the team.
At 6-4, 225 pounds he provides a nice athletic profile and also can play safety, a position he played in college. He switched to linebacker at the Senior Bowl last year, and he started his rookie season in Green Bay at safety. Despite working across linebacker groups, including at EDGE during training camp in 2022, he switched back to safety before eventually moving to his current spot at inside linebacker this offseason. His positional versatility is likely intriguing to the Steelers, as that’s something they’ve valued in building their roster this offseason.
A four-year starter at Georgia Tech, Carpenter registered 223 tackles, 22 passes defensed and four interceptions with the Yellow Jackets as their safety. Having an inside linebacker who has strength in coverage is interesting, as it’s something the Steelers have lacked in recent years.
With the Steelers losing Tanner Muse on waivers to the Los Angeles Chargers, Carpenter adds a versatile, special teams capable linebacker to the practice squad.
Carpenter’s youth, positional flexibility and special teams ability make him a nice reported addition to the team’s practice squad. He would be the team’s 14th addition, meaning there would still be two slots left to fill to reach the 16-man practice squad limit.
For more on Carpenter, a very well-done feature on him is below.
