The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed a a slew of players to Reserve/Future contracts as they build their offseason roster. Per the team, 17 players were signed to offseason contracts: DB Josh Bledsoe, OT Dylan Cook, DT Domenique Davis, LB Devin Harper, RB Evan Hull, DB D’Shawn Jamison, WR Brandon Johnson, G Steven Jones, EDGE Eku Leota, WR Lance McCutcheon, DB Kyler McMichael, OG Doug Nester, LB Thomas Rush, RB Aaron Shampklin, DL Jacob Slade, QB Skylar Thompson, and OLB Julius Welschof.
Bledsoe, Davis, Hull, Jones, McCutcheon, McMichael, Rush, and Thompson are external players who didn’t finish the season on the Steelers’ practice squad. Bledsoe, a former sixth-round pick from Missouri, has appeared in four NFL games with the New England Patriots across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He weighed in at 5113 and 204 pounds at the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine.
Davis spent part of the season on the Steelers’ practice squad bouncing back and forth between Pittsburgh and the Cincinnati Bengals. Coming in at 6021 and 315 pounds out of college, he played in two games for the Bengals in 2022.
Hull is a third-down back from Northwestern and fifth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2023. He’s appeared in two NFL games, one in 2023 and one in 2024, recording one carry and one reception. Coming out of Northwestern, Hull weighed in at 5101 and 209 pounds. Jones is a UDFA guard from Oregon the team brought in for a visit ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft. Big and powerful at 6052 and 342 pounds, he spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars this year.
McCutcheon spent part of the fall on the Steelers’ practice squad before getting caught up in the numbers game. He played 10 games for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022 but failed to catch a pass, mostly seeing work on special teams. He’s a big body at 6021 and 207 pounds.
McMichael was signed by the Steelers midway through training camp as depth to get through the rest of the preseason. He’s also spent time with the Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills and came in at 6001 and 201 pounds out of UNC.
Rush is an undrafted linebacker from Minnesota who spent time with the Tennessee Titans in 2023 and 2024. He’s yet to appear in an NFL game. He likely profiles as an outside linebacker in Pittsburgh at 6031 and 251 pounds. And Thompson’s signing was announced earlier, a former seventh-round pick of the Miami Dolphins. He’s made three career regular-season starts, including one in 2024 against the Seattle Seahawks.
Cook will return to the offseason roster and try to stick to the 53-man group after spending the 2024 season either on injured reserve or the practice squad. Impressing and making the 53-man roster in 2023, Cook entered the 2024 season with promise and potential. But a mid-summer foot injury derailed his chances of competing for a roster spot again.
At cutdowns, Cook was placed on injured reserve and designated to return. Activated right before Halloween, he was quickly waived by the team and shuttled to the practice squad where he spent the rest of the season. He’ll look to compete for a backup tackle spot in the summer with Dan Moore Jr. likely to hit free agency.
Signed to the Steelers’ practice squad in August after cutdowns, Harper entered the league in 2022 as a sixth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys. After making his NFL debut in 2023, he spent the rest of the season with the Cincinnati Bengals and was carried through the 2024 summer.
After being signed by Pittsburgh, Harper spent the entire season on the practice squad, never elevated to the Active/Inactive roster. He’s appeared in 12 NFL games and recorded seven total tackles.
Coming out of the draft, Harper checked in at 6002, 234-pounds and ran a 4.50 40-yard dash.
Undrafted in 2023 out of Texas, Jamison spent part of the 2024 season on the Steelers’ practice squad. Initially signed by the San Francisco 49ers, Jamison also spent time with the Carolina Panthers before making his way to Pittsburgh.
He signed with the Steelers in mid-September as practice squad depth. Jamison spent the rest of the regular season there and was not elevated to the team’s Active/Inactive roster. Jamison appeared in 15 games with the Panthers as a rookie, starting one, and recording 10 tackles with one pass deflection. Undersized at 5-9, he largely played outside corner in Carolina while playing on multiple special teams units.
At his Pro Day, he ran a 4.51 40-yard dash with a 33-inch vertical and 10’3″ broad jump.
Johnson followed Russell Wilson from Denver to Pittsburgh, signing with the team’s practice squad shortly before the season began. He spent most of the regular season there but received a couple cups of coffee with the Steelers, appearing in three games and playing 19 offensive snaps. He caught one pass for 9 yards, a 2nd-and-10 catch in a Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He also appeared in games against the New York Jets and New York Giants but was not targeted.
His 2023 season with Wilson and Denver was more successful, Johnson catching 19 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns.
Undrafted in 2022, Johnson spent most of his college career at Tennessee before transferring to UCF for his final season where he caught 38 passes, including 11 for touchdowns. Given how thin the Steelers’ receiver room is with several pending free agents, Johnson has an outside chance to compete for a roster spot in 2025. He offers good size at 6023, 195 pounds.
Leota was brought in and briefly played for the Steelers this year after they were hammered by EDGE injuries. Leota appeared in the team’s Week 6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, playing 13 defensive snaps and making one tackle. He began the season with the Carolina Panthers, appearing in two games and recording a sack in the season opener.
Undrafted out of Auburn, he entered the league in 2023 and appeared in eight games as a rookie. He’ll compete for a backup job and will need to play well on special teams this summer. Preston Smith isn’t expected to return, clearing one spot for someone like Leota.
Shampklin became a brief feel-good story during the 2024 season. A longshot when he came to training camp, he flashed during the summer and quickly earned a practice squad spot after an injury to veteran Boston Scott. He was called up after injuries to Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson.
He appeared in three games for the Steelers this season, making his NFL debut and logging his six carries for 17 yards. Shampklin also played sparingly on special teams. But the team quickly preferred to play veteran Jonathan Ward instead, signing him to the 53-man roster.
Shampklin was released in October but brought back to the practice squad two days later.
Slade signs another Reserve/Future with the Steelers after inking one last year. Undrafted out of Michigan State, he’s yet to appear in an NFL game. He was carried on the offseason roster and into training camp as a deep reserve along the defensive line, seeing limited playing time during the summer. The team waived him at final cutdowns before signing him back to the practice squad two days later.
At his 2023 Pro Day, he checked in at 6031, 285 pounds, running a sub 5-second 40 with a 31-inch vertical. Slade has also spent time with the Arizona Cardinals.
An undrafted rookie free agent, Welschof served as the Steelers’ international exemption for the 2024 offseason. Born in Germany, he moved stateside and played his college ball at Michigan before transferring to Charlotte for the 2023 season. A shoulder injury four games into his senior season caused him to miss the rest of the year.
A unique body type for an outside linebacker at 6065, 207 pounds, Welschof got healthy for his Pro Day and ran a 4.82 40-yard dash with a 32.5-inch vertical and 7.01 three-cone. A stout run defender during the summer, he picked up three sacks during the preseason.
But he injured his knee late in the team’s finale against the Detroit Lions, landing Welschof on injured reserve to begin the season. He was later released and became a free agent before getting healthy and signing back with the team’s practice squad in late November. He’s yet to appear in an NFL game.
