The Pittsburgh Steelers have waived offensive lineman Kellen Diesch, the team announced Monday afternoon.
Diesch had just finished going through the team’s three-day rookie minicamp, one of a handful of first-year players allowed to practice this weekend.
Undrafted in 2022 out of Arizona State, he signed with the Miami Dolphins. A college tackle who lacked length, he was released by Miami at final cutdowns. He spent the rest of his rookie season on the Chicago Bears’ practice squad and the 2023 summer with the team before being waived last August. He played exclusively left tackle throughout the preseason with the Bears. With Miami, he saw snaps at both tackle spots.
Pittsburgh signed Diesch to its practice squad on Aug. 31, and he remained on the team’s practice squad throughout the regular season. He signed a Reserve/Futures deal with the Steelers after their Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills. He’s yet to appear in an NFL game.
The Steelers now have an 88-man roster and three open roster spots. Rookie LB Julius Welschof, born in Germany, received an exemption as an international player, allowing Pittsburgh to carry up to 91 players on its offseason roster. Sunday, Pittsburgh signed veteran CB Anthony Averett after he tried out with the team this weekend. The team figures to fill the rest of its roster in the next couple of weeks.
Pittsburgh hits the field again with OTAs, the first time the entire roster practices together, in eight days. They will hold practices May 21-23, May 28-30, and June 3-6. They will hold their three-day mandatory minicamp June 11-13 before breaking until training camp in late July.
