The Pittsburgh Steelers are releasing DB Kyler McMichael, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on X.
The deadline to have the roster cut down to the 53-man limit is tomorrow at 4 PM/ET, so this release is part of that cutdown process. There should be many more names being announced throughout today.
The Steelers signed McMichael at the end of the first week of training camp on July 30 in a corresponding roster move to the release of DB Josiah Scott. McMichael’s time lasted a little under a month with the Steelers.
According to Pro Football Focus, McMichael played 34 total snaps in the preseason. He played against the Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions after logging zero snaps in the first preseason game against the Texans. He actually performed pretty well against depth players in the preseason finale against the Lions. Pro Football Focus gave him an 82.2 overall grade.
He had five solo tackles, one stop, one missed tackle, and a passer rating allowed of 39.6 in his preseason action. Once the starters came out of the game, McMichael played extensively against the Lions for his last chance to earn a spot on the roster.
The Steelers’ cornerback depth is very thin so McMichael had a better chance than other players who joined the team so late in the process. He could potentially end up on the Steelers’ practice squad due to his solid performance in the preseason.
Originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this is now the third-straight offseason McMichael has failed to make a team, though he did spend most of his rookie season on the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad. We will see if he circles back to Pittsburgh’s practice squad after the final cuts are made tomorrow.
