In addition to working out S Joshua Kalu, the Pittsburgh Steelers also worked out S Ben DeLuca, S Jalen Elliott, CB John Reid and CB Jace Whittaker. The news was passed along by Aaron Wilson via the NFL transaction log.
DeLuca most recently played for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL, the same team as Pittsburgh WR Hakeem Butler. He played college football at Charlotte with OLB Alex Highsmith and has spent time in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers and New York Giants. The 6-foot-1, 202-pound safety has played in three NFL games, all in 2021 with the Chargers. He has yet to record a stat, but he had 313 tackles, nine forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and 17 passes defensed during his career at Charlotte.
Elliott played at Notre Dame and has spent time with the Detroit Lions, New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders. Standing at 6-feet and 205 pounds, he was waived by the Raiders in May. He was named a captain at Notre Dame during his senior season and played in the Reese’s Senior Bowl before going undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft. He finished his college career with 134 tackles and six interceptions.
Reid, a former Penn State standout, was a fourth-round pick by the Houston Texans in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was traded in August 2021 to the Seattle Seahawks for a seventh-round draft pick and has bounced around the league with stints with the Atlanta Falcons twice, Tennessee Titans, and Minnesota Vikings. In 27 NFL games and four starts, he has 30 tackles and three passes defensed. He stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 187 pounds.
Whittaker signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2020 following a career at Arizona. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound corner played 12 games in his three-year career with the Cardinals, starting four. He has 31 total tackles and three passes defensed in the NFL.
Pittsburgh is looking for more defensive back depth with Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee currently injured and Minkah Fitzpatrick away from the team for a personal reason. The lines at safety are getting short, and the Steelers likely want to create more competition at cornerback as well after Cory Trice Jr.’s injury. No transaction was made today, but we’ll be watching over the next few days to see what Pittsburgh does in terms of adding to its secondary.
