Well, it’s about that time again. Are you ready for the annual 53-man roster-setting day? I know I am, as the next 24 to 48 hours should be quite newsworthy and entertaining. When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers, specifically, it will be interesting to see if the team adds any players from the outside in the next 48 hours via waiver claims, signings, or even trades. With us being close to a busy next 24-48 hours, I thought I would take a quick look back at late roster additions the Steelers have made dating back to 2012.
As the table of data above shows, the Steelers have had at least one late August or early September roster addition every year but one dating back to 2012. 2019 was the only year the team did not add from the outside in those calendars’ spans. There has also been a mix of waiver claims, signings, and trades when it comes to those late offseason roster additions.
A year ago, CB Desmond King II was signed on August 31, just two days after the initial active 53-man was established. King, by the way, only lasted on the active roster through the middle of October, as the team ultimately released him.
In 2022, the Steelers were quite busy in late August and early September as they acquired OL Jesse Davis and OLB Malik Reed via trades and claimed OLB Jamir Jones off waivers in the days leading up to the start of that regular season. Even so, none of those three players wound up being significant additions.
As far as notable additions that the Steelers have made in late August or early September dating back to 2012, the signing of CB Joe Haden in 2017 is easily the most significant one on the list. The Cleveland Browns released Haden in late August of 2016 after seven seasons with the team. His release took place after many attempts by the Browns to trade him. Haden signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the Steelers the next day.
A year prior to the Steelers signing Haden, they acquired TE Vance McDonald from the San Francisco 49ers via a late August trade in 2017. McDonald went on to play a total of four seasons in Pittsburgh.
The rest of the acquired players I included above included a few notable additions. I suppose the trade for CB Ahkello Witherspoon looked good for a few games, but overall, he wasn’t an impactful player in Pittsburgh. He also played in just 13 regular-season games.
When you look at how the Steelers’ 2024 53-man active roster is setting up right now, most would surely agree that an outside addition or two certainly wouldn’t hurt. Another cornerback or two, and specifically one that could play in the slot, would be advisable. The Steelers obviously could stand to upgrade their wide receiver group as well. A top-notch gunner on special teams could certainly be used as well.
While the Steelers have been linked as a possible trade destination for 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk since March, there is still no true sign that such a deal will be consummated at the time of this post. We’ll see if the start of the season, now right around the corner, finally puts an end to the Aiyuk saga.
In closing, I feel confident that we’ll discuss at least one outside addition for the Steelers at the end of the next 48 hours and perhaps as many as three. That said, I’m not so sure any additions the team makes in the coming days will wind up being huge needle movers, especially if Aiyuk isn’t one of them. We’ll get our annual answer here very soon. Stay tuned.
