The Pittsburgh Steelers recently signed WR Ben Skowronek to the active roster off the practice squad, but Skowornek was placed on IR today as he’s been dealing with a shoulder injury. The Steelers also officially signed WR Jaray Jenkins to the practice squad and signed TE Matt Sokol to the practice squad, they announced today.
Both Jenkins and Sokol are familiar to the Steelers, as both were with the team during training camp and the preseason. Sokol was signed on July 30 after TE Rodney Williams suffered an injury during training camp and was a part of Pittsburgh’s final roster cuts. But he impressed the team enough to earn another look on the team’s practice squad, which had an open spot after signing Skowornek to the active roster.
Sokol has eight games of NFL experience between the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots from 2020-2023. He played three games with the Chargers in 2020 and six with the Patriots between 2022-2023, playing 53 offensive snaps and 37 special teams snaps in his NFL career.
With Skowronek going on IR, he’ll miss a minimum of four games. The reason the team signed him to the active roster may have been to allow him to go on IR and then return. That wouldn’t have been the case had he gone on the practice squad/injured reserve list.
The team has tweaked its practice squad a bit this week, signing DB D’Shawn Jamison and CB James Pierre yesterday. Both Jamison and Pierre have some special teams value. And with Skowronek one of the team’s gunners through the first two weeks of the season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Pierre get an elevation to fill that role against the Chargers on Sunday.
Jenkins’ signing was reported yesterday by ESPN’s Brooke Pryor and is now official. He played his college football at LSU and also has spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars in his NFL career. He had four receptions for 44 yards with the Steelers this preseason.
With Skowronek going to IR, the Steelers now have an open spot on their 53-man roster.
