In a procedural move common for this time of year, Pittsburgh Steelers S Nate Meadors has cleared waivers and reverted to injured reserve after being waived/injured by the team Thursday morning. The NFL’s transaction sheet via Aaron Wilson showed the move as official Friday afternoon.
Meadors suffered a hamstring injury during Tuesday’s practice and was not spotted during Wednesday’s session. With short lines at safety and a preseason game Friday night, the Steelers brought back veteran S Jalen Elliott to provide depth throughout the rest of the summer. Meadors was moved off the roster to make room.
While on injured reserve, he’ll receive a split salary of $495,000. Assuming his hamstring injury isn’t severe, he’ll likely be released from injured reserve with an injury settlement over the next seven days and become a free agent. NFL rules allow those players to sign back with their releasing team but they must wait several weeks to do so.
Meadors signed to the Steelers practice squad last December and inked a Reserve/Futures contract early in the offseason. Undrafted out of UCLA where he primarily played corner, he became an NFL safety first picked up by the Minnesota Vikings in 2019. He’s appeared in three NFL games, making two career tackles, but hasn’t appeared in a regular season contest since 2020. In addition to the Vikings and Steelers, Meadors has spent time with a host of other teams and a stint in the spring league with the St. Louis Battlehawks.
Before his injury, Meadors was enjoying a solid camp. He jumped and intercepted a Kyle Allen pass during seven shots earlier this week and showed a desire to attack the run downhill. Had he stayed healthy, he likely would’ve pushed for a practice squad spot.
Meadors is the third Steeler to be waived/injured during training camp, joining OLB David Perales (knee) and ILB Tyler Murray (groin).
