The Pittsburgh Steelers waived OLB David Perales off injured reserve today, per the NFL transaction log on Tuesday. Perales, who suffered an injury in training camp, had been on a split salary on IR.
David Perales, an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State in 2023, bounced on and off the Steelers practice squad last season and then signed a reserve/futures deal with the team last January. He was waived/injured on August 1 after being injured in training camp the day prior, and then cleared waivers and reverted to the team’s injured reserve on a split salary, where he remained until today.
Heading into this season, Perales had lost 15 pounds and was looking to compete for Pittsburgh’s fourth outside linebacker roster spot, but the injury derailed those hopes. There’s still a chance he could circle back with the Steelers on another reserve/futures deal, but the team has their outside linebacker room pretty set. By waiving him now, the Steelers may be giving Perales a chance to explore other opportunities.
David Perales was originally waived to make room for OLB Markus Golden, who retired during the preseason. Currently, the Steelers have T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Jeremiah Moon, and Preston Smith in their outside linebacker room. While Smith is likely to be cut this offseason, he could still circle back with the team, and if not, the team seems to like Moon, who also offers special teams upside, and Perales returning would likely make him nothing more than a camp body. Pittsburgh also has Eku Leota on their practice squad, and it seems as if Perales might have a better chance of latching on elsewhere for a chance to continue his NFL journey and make an impact in the league.
David Perales was a prolific pass rusher in college, logging 23 sacks in 33 games to go along with nine forced fumbles and 118 total tackles in three years at Fresno State. He was injured before the preseason began this year, but in the 2023 preseason, he played 100 snaps for Pittsburgh, logging two total tackles.
