It was reported yesterday that the Pittsburgh Steelers were signing S Quindell Johnson, and in a corresponding move, they released DB Joshuah Bledsoe, the team announced today.
Bledsoe entered the league as a sixth-round pick by the New England Patriots in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Missouri. He saw limited action in 2022 and 2023 for New England, recording one tackle in four games. After his release from New England, Bledsoe briefly signed with the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas before inking a Reserve/Futures deal with the Steelers in January.
Coming out of Missouri, Bledsoe measured in at 5113 and 204 pounds. He had 131 tackles, eight tackles for a loss and an interception during his four collegiate seasons.
With Johnson in the fold, Joshuah Bledsoe became expendable as a depth safety. Johnson has a bit more NFL experience, playing in nine games with the Chicago Bears in 2023 and registering an interception along with three tackles. He was most recently with the San Francisco 49ers, and he’s also spent time with the Los Angeles Rams during his NFL career. Los Angeles initially signed him as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Steelers’ roster is back down to 90 players, which means they have one open roster spot with EDGE Julius Welschof counting as an international exemption. The team will also likely free up a roster spot when TE Donald Parham Jr., who reportedly tore his Achilles in practice on Tuesday, lands on IR.
Johnson will get his first opportunity to work with the Steelers during the team’s final OTA session today. He’ll also likely be on the field next week during mandatory minicamp, which runs from June 10-12.
Pittsburgh’s safety room currently consists of Minkah Fitzpatrick, DeShon Elliott, Juan Thornhill, Miles Killebrew, undrafted free agent Sebastian Castro and Johnson. The path to a roster spot for Johnson will be to show value on special teams, but in a safety room that’s already deep, he’ll likely have an uphill battle when it comes to sticking on the team’s initial 53-man roster.
