With a number of injuries on the roster, the Pittsburgh Steelers were expected to make at least one move on Monday during the team’s off day.
Turns out, GM Omar Khan is doing just that. According to a report from NFL Insider Aaron Wilson, the Steelers are expected to sign linebacker Kyahva Tezino on Monday, landing the former Pittsburgh Maulers’ linebacker out of the USFL, which is now the UFL.
Previously, Tezino worked out with the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 16 but went unsigned. Now, he will land with the Steelers, based on Wilson’s report.
Tezino spent the 2024 UFL season with the Birmingham Stallions.
The 6-foot, 235-pound linebacker went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft coming out of San Diego State and landed with the New England Patriots as a UDFA. He spent a few months in Foxboro before being waived in July 2020 and quickly claimed by the Carolina Panthers.
But the Panthers ultimately waived him a month later. From August of 2020 to July 2023, Tezino was out of the NFL, sticking in the USFL with the Maulers.
Tezino was drafted in the 31st round of the USFL Draft by the Maulers ahead of the 2022 season. During the 2022 season, he tallied a team-high 94 tackles and 2 interceptions.
In July 2023, Tezino got his shot in the NFL again, signing with the San Francisco 49ers. He spent a month with San Francisco, going through training camp before being released in final cutdowns.
During his time with the 49ers, Tezino played 23 snaps in the preseason last summer, grading out at a 51.8 overall from Pro Football Focus, including a 71.2 against the run but a 35.5 against the pass. He had just one assisted tackle during the 2023 preseason for the 49ers and allowed just one reception for 11 yards on one target, per PFF.
But now, with the Steelers needing some bottom-of-the-roster players, especially with linebackers Tyler Matakevich and Payton Wilson banged up coming out of the preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, the Steelers are giving the former San Diego State product a shot.
In college at SDSU, Tezino appeared in 48 games with 31 starts and registered 290 tackles, 15.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 8 passes defensed and 4 forced fumbles. He was named First-Team All-Mountain West in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019 with the Aztecs.
Tezino clocked a 4.67 40-yard dash coming out of college.
