The Pittsburgh Steelers have made several roster moves following Friday night’s preseason loss to the Houston Texans. Per NFL.com and the transaction wire, the team has placed NT Breiden Fehoko on injured reserve. The team also waived LB Easton Gibbs and signed DL Marquiss Spencer and LB Luquay Washington.
Fehoko suffered a left arm/shoulder injury during the week of practice leading up to the Steelers’ opener against the Texans. Though it was not addressed by Mike Tomlin, we spotted Fehoko with a large wrap on his arm and shoulder mid-way through the Wednesday practice.
With Fehoko on IR, the Steelers are thin at nose tackle for the rest of the summer. Starting NT Keeanu Benton suffered an eye injury against the Texans, though he appears to have avoided a serious injury. Montravius Adams has enjoyed a strong camp but without Fehoko, rookie DL Logan Lee has filled in as a third-string nose tackle despite profiling more like a defensive end.
Despite a tweak in the league’s injured reserve/return rules, because Breiden Fehoko was placed on IR ahead of the final cutdown date, he won’t be eligible to be designated to return later this season. The only way he could return is through being released with an injury settlement and waiting several of weeks before he can re-sign. But that assumes his injury is minor.
Gibbs was signed earlier in the week to replace ILB Tyler Murray, waived/injured because of a groin injury. He logged just four defensive snaps in last night’s loss.
Spencer and Washington were recent Steelers’ workouts. Spencer was worked out ahead of training camp but not immediately signed. He will bolster depth at nose tackle, weighing in at 6035, 301 pounds, with 33 1/8-inch arms coming out of Mississippi State. He’s spent time with several teams, most recently with the New York Jets.
Washington will replace Gibbs. He worked out for the team yesterday, one of four linebackers the team tried out. Undrafted out of Central Connecticut State, he weighed in at 6006 and 232 pounds at his Pro Day, running a 4.59 40-yard dash. He was waived by the Kansas City Chiefs in late July. We will update jersey numbers for both players during the team’s Sunday practice.
With Fehoko on IR, Gibbs being waived, two pair of signings, and Markus Golden’s retirement, the Steelers still have an open roster spot. Perhaps they will work out offensive tackles in the morning after Troy Fautanu’s MCL sprain. Though the injury is considered minor, he’s still likely to miss some amount of time, leaving the Steelers thin at tackle for the rest of camp and the preseason.
Pittsburgh will hold three more training camp practices: Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. They’ll have a joint practice with the Buffalo Bills Thursday before playing them at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 17.
