The Pittsburgh Steelers made a practice squad swap Tuesday, signing WR Jacob Copeland to the team’s practice squad. In a corresponding move, the team released S Jalen Elliott.
This isn’t Copeland’s first time on the roster. Pittsburgh signed him to the practice squad on Sept. 12, carrying him for nearly a month until releasing him Oct. 3 to make room for WR Denzel Mims. Copeland split time between Maryland and Florida in college. Undrafted, he signed with the Tennessee Titans and has also spent time with the Minnesota Vikings.
Checking in at 5112 and 201 pounds, he showed his wheels at the NFL Combine, blazing a 4.42 40 time. He also jumped 10’7″ in the broad. Across his college career, he caught 112 passes for 1,742 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also has light kick return experience, returning eight of them his final year at Maryland. He’s never appeared in an NFL game.
Copeland’s signing could be tied to WR Calvin Austin III’s ankle injury. While not deemed significant by Mike Tomlin, the Steelers coach noted Austin could be limited early in the week and participation would be the team’s guide to whether he plays Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
Elliott being released is a good sign for FS Minkah Fitzpatrick, whom Tomlin said will practice in some capacity Wednesday. He’s missed the last four games and most of a fifth with a hamstring injury. Elliott was signed by the Steelers during training camp and released at final cutdowns. In our post-camp evaluation of him, we wrote:
“Another mid-camp add to help get the team through the summer, Elliott is a skinnier-framed player without much speed or athleticism. But he’ll come up and tackle and isn’t afraid to do the dirty work. He split time between free and strong safety in camp and saw 65 reps during the preseason so he got plenty of burn to share with teams when he’s released and getting on the in-season tryout circuit.”
He was signed back to the Steelers’ practice squad on Oct. 31. Elliott has appeared in eight NFL games, all coming with the Detroit Lions in 2021.
