The Pittsburgh Steelers saw seven players have their practice squad contracts expire today, now making them free to sign with any team. Among the seven are LB Myles Jack and S Eric Rowe, both of whom played key roles for the Steelers down the stretch, including in the team’s Wild Card Round playoff matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
In addition to Rowe and Jack, P Brad Wing, RB Anthony McFarland Jr, OLB David Perales, NT Breiden Fehoko and LB Jaylon Smith are now free agents after the expiration of their practice squad contracts.
In total, 36 practice squad contracts expired around the league, and NFL Media’s Tom Peliserro tweeted a list of notable veterans who are now free agents, including Rowe, Jack, Smith and Wing.
At this point, teams remaining in the playoffs have their roster pretty much set, but with how Rowe and Jack played, there’s potential for some interest among teams in the hunt. Notably, the Kansas City Chiefs lost safety Mike Edwards to a concussion last night and are dealing with other injuries at the position, so Rowe could be of interest as they look to take down the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.
Pittsburgh could look to bring back Rowe and Jack or any of the other players whose practice squad contracts expired, but they no longer have exclusive negotiation rights. The two of them were signed prior to Week 12 and played a key role in Pittsburgh’s final four games, helping out rooms at inside linebacker and safety that were decimated by injury and the suspension of Damontae Kazee. They helped Pittsburgh go 3-0 in its final three regular-season games to finish 10-7 and make the postseason. Both garnered a lot of praise from their teammates.
Long-term, there may not be a fit in Pittsburgh for Jack, who spent 2022 with the Steelers before getting released and later retiring. He came out of retirement to sign back with the Steelers, but the team has LBs Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts under contract for another season and could look to add to the position in the draft. LB Kwon Alexander is also a pending free agent although he is coming off a torn Achilles tendon.
Rowe filled in admirably for Minkah Fitzpatrick, and he played safety alongside Patrick Peterson. Peterson’s status with the team going forward hasn’t been decided yet, but there’s a chance he moves to safety full-time alongside Fitzpatrick. Kazee is also under contract for another season.
Even if Rowe and Jack are done as Steelers, they’ll be an important part of the story of the 2023 team, helping it withstand injuries and fight its way into the playoffs. We’ll see what their future in football looks like now that both are free agents.
