Fresh off a thrilling win on the road over the Washington Commanders, the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to tinker with the roster ahead of a pivotal showdown in AFC North football against the Baltimore Ravens.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Steelers are signing veteran wide receiver and kick returner Jamal Agnew to their practice squad, giving them a significant playmaker to work into the fold.
Agnew, a 2017 first-team All-Pro on special teams and a 2022 Pro Bowler, spent the last three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He finished the 2023 season with 14 receptions for 225 yards and a touchdown in 11 games on 21 targets and added 14 punt returns for 153 yards with a long of 48. yards, along with 15 kick returns for 391 yards and a long of 53 yards.
Agnew was unsigned after his contract with Jacksonville expired. He battled injuries last season, but never landed another opportunity in the NFL — until now.
A fifth-round pick out of San Diego in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, Agnew has been one of the more dangerous return men in the NFL over the last decade, recording four punt returns for touchdown and two kick returns for scores, including a 102-yard return in 2021 with the Jaguars.
As a rookie in Detroit, Agnew had an 88-yard punt return for touchdown against the New York Giants. He later added a 74-yard punt return for touchdown against the New Orleans Saints that season, which helped him earn first-team All-Pro honors.
In 2019, Agnew had a 100-yard kickoff return for touchdown with the Lions in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles and then later in the season ripped off a 64-yard punt return for touchdown against the Denver Broncos.
Thanks to his abilities with the football in his hands, the Lions moved him to wide receiver in the 2020 season, as he was previously at cornerback. That season, Agnew had 13 receptions for 89 yards and still remained dangerous as a punt returner, taking a punt back 74 yards against Tampa Bay.
Following the 2020 season, Agnew signed with the Jaguars on a three-year deal and immediately made an impact. He took a kick back 102 yards against the Broncos, setting a Jaguars franchise record. He has not had a kick or punt return for score since Week 2 of the 2021 season.
Now, he joins the Steelers’ practice squad with a chance to work under special teams coordinator Danny Smith, providing depth behind the likes of Calvin Austin III and Cordarrelle Patterson in the punt- and kick-return game. Austin already has a punt return for touchdown this season while Patterson hasn’t had the impact in the kick return game like the Steelers envisioned when they signed him.
Austin did leave Sunday’s win over the Commanders to seemingly be evaluated for a concussion, so that’s something to monitor this week regarding his availability.
The Steelers currently have a full practice squad, so we’ll see what the corresponding move is made on the practice squad to free up a spot.
