After releasing eight players Monday morning, the Pittsburgh Steelers have released three more players following the team’s afternoon practice. They are:
OT Anderson Hardy
CB Kyler McMichael
K Matthew Wright
Hardy ran third-team right tackle throughout training camp. To his credit, he was healthy and available for each practice and all three preseason games. But undersized for the position, he struggled mightily in pass protection during practices and the preseason games. He graded out as one of the NFL’s worst offensive tackles in the preseason and our post-camp evaluation had a similar takeaway.
“Hardy was one of the worst players in camp. Less problematic as a run blocker but rough as a pass protector, beat by just about everyone he faced. Kyron Johnson, DeMarvin Leal, guys who are at least a rung above him in the pecking order but losses all the same. There weren’t many strong reps. Hardy is small and lacks length, just 32-inch arms, playing more guard at previous NFL stops before Pittsburgh moved him to his college tackle position. He allowed a sack against the Bills last Saturday night.”
McMichael’s release was reported earlier in the day, though the team presumably kept him for Monday’s practice given the injuries to Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr., who sat out the session. Signed midway through camp, McMichael logged a fair number of reps during the summer, including 34 combined snaps against the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions, but faced long odds to make the 53-man roster. In our post-camp evaluation, here’s how we summed him up, earning a ‘D’ grade.
“McMichael was signed midway through camp and saw a fair number of third-team reps. His play wasn’t notable and he’s average athletically and struggled as a tackler. He picked off a pass off a tipped pass late in training camp but most of my camp notes were just writing him down as the cornerback who allowed the catch. I doubt he sticks on the practice squad.”
Stuck behind Chris Boswell, Wright, who initially signed as an undrafted free agent with the Steelers in 2019, returned to the team earlier in the offseason. He made a 26-yard field goal against the Lions but missed his only extra point. That came in the opener versus the Houston Texans with blame on LS Christian Kuntz for a high snap.
With an NFL resume, Wright could find himself on another team over the next few weeks. In 24 career regular-season games, he’s made 85 percent of his field goals and is 6-of-9 from 50-plus yards.
These three cuts are in addition to the eight players released this morning, highlighted by UDFA RB Daijun Edwards. With all 11 moves, the Steelers’ roster sits at 80 players.
Pittsburgh’s roster must be reduced to 53 players by Tuesday at 4 PM/ET.
