The Pittsburgh Steelers have waived NT Breiden Fehoko, the team announced Monday.
Fehoko, signed to a one-year deal in the offseason, spent the start of the year on the team’s practice squad. He was soon signed to the 53-man roster but only dressed for one game, failing to log a snap.
An interior run stuffer, there seemed to be a chance for him to get on the field, especially early in the year as Pittsburgh’s run defense faltered. But he was blocked by starting NT Montravius Adams and rookie Keeanu Benton, who have both played well this season.
Fehoko enjoyed an impressive training camp, bottling up the team’s daily run periods and impressing head coach Mike Tomlin. We wrote as much in our post-camp recap:
“While Fehoko’s value is capped, it plays well with Pittsburgh’s ethos and in this division, especially once the weather gets bad. Getting a hat on gameday could be tough, though he’d be active if Montravius Adams is cut, but the team does like his old-school attitude.”
But he became odd man out in a deep defensive line room, losing to Armon Watts and Isaiahh Loudermilk for the final spot. Cam Heyward’s Week One groin injury helped open a spot for Fehoko as Pittsburgh was hit by d-line injuries early in the season. Now, Heyward is back, and the group is far healthier.
With Fehoko’s release, the Steelers now have 52 players on their roster. It creates a free roster spot to potentially sign someone off the practice squad, likely an inside linebacker to replace the injured LB Kwon Alexander. That could mean Tariq Carpenter or Mykal Walker get signed. In fact, both could be signed once Alexander is placed on IR later this week.
Perhaps Fehoko will return to the practice squad, assuming he clears waivers.
Prior to signing with Pittsburgh, Fehoko spent three years with the Los Angeles Chargers, appearing in 19 games and making four starts. For his career, he’s recorded 36 tackles, one coming for a loss.
