Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Tre Norwood has found a new home in a new league. According to the UFL Communications Department, Norwood has agreed to a deal with the Birmingham Stallions.
It’s Norwood’s first known professional stop since spending seven weeks with the Buffalo Bills late last season. The Steelers seventh round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Norwood briefly had a role in Pittsburgh’s defense as a dime defender and sub-package chess piece. As a rookie, he appeared in all 17 games, starting three. He recorded 38 tackles and picked off a pass, a play notable as it allowed Ben Roethlisberger to take the final knee of his home Steelers’ career in a win over the Cleveland Browns.
Norwood played in 15 games his sophomore season, including making a start as a rag-tag Steelers’ secondary bested Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But Norwood’s playing time cratered by year’s end and he was phased out of the defense.
He entered 2023 on the roster bubble. After a good start to camp, he suffered a leg injury that limited him late in the summer. Pittsburgh released him at final cutdowns and didn’t re-sign him to the practice squad. He spent September bouncing around cities, working out for the Buccaneers and Houston Texans before signing with the San Francisco 49ers late in the month. Released a week before Halloween, he remained a free agent until the Bills signed him to their practice squad Nov. 7. He was released two days before the New Year and spent the offseason a free agent.
Now, Norwood will look to stick with the Stallions. Birmingham pitched a shutout in the UFL Championship Game, besting the San Antonio Brahmas 25-0.
The UFL just wrapped up their season this summer, meaning he’s months away from seeing the field again and putting on tape that could get him back in the NFL. But Norwood is a professional football player again, the first step after a long wait.
