The Pittsburgh Steelers are beginning to trim their roster from 91 to 53 by Tuesday’s 4 PM/EST deadline. Per KPRC’s Aaron Wilson, the Steelers are waiving WR T.J. Luther.
Luther was signed the final day of training camp as wide receiver depth following WR Tarik Black’s hamstring issue that led him to be waived/injured, creating a roster spot. Luther saw one target during that practice, an incompletion off miscommunication on a curl route from QB Kyle Allen.
Luther logged one snap in the Buffalo Bills preseason game, a notable one for unfortunate reasons. He and QB Justin Fields weren’t on the same page on this would-be long touchdown, the pass falling incomplete as Luther struggled to track and time his jump to try and bring the pass in. While there were online discussions about who was to blame, quarterback or receiver, the reality was the that Steelers had a new receiver who had probably never caught a pass from Fields before, let alone deep downfield during a game.
Luther did not catch a pass in Saturday’s finale versus the Detroit Lions, playing just four offensive snaps and another four on special teams. Undrafted in 2023 out of Gardner-Webb, he has spent time with the New York Jets and New England Patriots. Unlikely to be signed to the Steelers’ practice squad, Luther will try to remain on the NFL tryout circuit and get picked up somewhere when injuries strike throughout the regular season.
He began his college career at Wofford before transferring to Gardner-Webb. As a senior in 2022, he caught 55 passes for over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns. The Steelers have interesting decisions to be made at wide receiver, including if they’ll keep five or six and if Dez Fitzpatrick and/or Scotty Miller stick.
Pittsburgh must trim its roster from 90 to 53 by Tuesday afternoon. The Steelers’ roster sat at 91 due to OLB Julius Welschof’s International Exemption. He did not count against the team’s offseason roster.
