After signing 17 players to Reserve/Futures deals last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to round out their 90-man offseason roster, announcing the signing of five more players to Reserve/Futures contracts Tuesday afternoon.
The Steelers signed cornerbacks Kalon Barnes and Josiah Scott, defensive back Thomas Graham, linebacker Tyler Murray, and outside linebacker David Perales.
All but Graham spent time with the Steelers during parts of the 2023 season.
Perales is the most familiar name of the bunch. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State after the 2023 NFL Draft and spent all of training camp and the preseason with the Steelers before being cut and landing on the practice squad. Perales bounced on and off the practice squad as he was signed and released twice during the regular season before finally being added earlier this month as depth for the injured T.J. Watt.
Perales drew some positive reviews in camp, but our report was less glowing, and he didn’t push for a roster spot. If Markus Golden leaves in free agency, it’ll make his math a little easier, but practice squad is his best bet in 2024.
Barnes and Scott spent time on the practice squad this season for the Steelers. Barnes was signed to the practice squad in mid-September before being released two weeks later.
Barnes was selected in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers and has bounced around with the Panthers, Miami Dolphins, the Minnesota Vikings, and New York Jets, along with the Steelers.
He ran an official 4.23 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Combine and measured in at 5114 and 183 pounds at his Pro Day with a 76 ¾-inch wingspan. He also broad jumped 11’01″ and competed in the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas.
Barnes entered Baylor as a three-star recruit at wide receiver before switching to cornerback, eventually playing 41 games on the defensive side of the football. Speed is a massive part of his game. Barnes was a two-time Texas 100m and 200m state champion in high school, and owns the Texas high school 100m record, which he set in 2017 with a time of 10.22.
Scott was signed to the practice squad following final cuts around the league and was later signed off the practice squad by the Philadelphia Eagles in mid-October. The former Michigan State corner was cut after two seasons with the Eagles, and he’s a bit undersized at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds. He was acquired via trade by the Eagles ahead of the 2021 season from the Jacksonville Jaguars and played in 33 games over the last three seasons with the Eagles.
Last year was the best season of his career as he played in 16 games, starting four, and intercepted two passes. He also had eight pass deflections last season, and that success on a good Eagles defense makes him an intriguing add to the offseason roster. This season, Scott played four games with the Eagles had two tackles and played 43 special teams snaps.
Murray was an interesting story for the Steelers, signing to the practice squad in mid-November while he was working at Amazon.
Murray, who checks in at 6001, 226 pounds, spent time in college at Troy, Charlotte and Memphis. He spent some time with the Cincinnati Bengals after being undrafted coming out of Memphis in the 2023 NFL Draft.
At Memphis in 2022, Murray started in all 13 games for the Tigers, recording 67 tackles, six tackles for loss, two interceptions, three quarterback hurries and two pass breakups. Prior to his time at Memphis, Murray was a two-year starter for Charlotte and was a team captain in 2021.
With Charlotte, Murray recorded 128 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and five quarterback hurries, earning third-team All-Conference USA honors in 2021.
Graham was a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears out of Oregon. He spent the 2021 season and part of the 2022 season with the Bears, and then parts of the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Cleveland Browns.
Graham checks in at 5011, 192 pounds with 31-inch arms and ran a 4.49 40-yard dash coming out of Oregon. He’s played in 11 career games in the NFL with one start, recording 19 tackles, one tackle for loss and four passes defensed.
Graham has floated between outside corner, slot corner and box defender in limited action in the NFL. He’s played 82 snaps at corner, 47 snaps at slot and 19 snaps in the box.
