Several former Pittsburgh Steelers were placed on waivers on Monday as NFL teams continued their quest to cut down from 90-man offseason roster to the 53-man regular season maximum ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m.
Five former Steelers ended up on waivers on Monday: offensive tackle Christian DiLauro, tight end Alize Mack, punter Corliss Waitman, cornerback Chris Steele, tackle Jarrid Williams,
Seven other former Steelers players were among the earlier cuts over the weekend. All players on waivers will remain on waivers until they process at noon on Wednesday, at which point, players are free to sign with any team to their active roster or practice squad.
Waitman was cut loose by the New England Patriots, who decided to go with rookie sixth-round pick Bryce Baringer at punter instead. Waitman signed with Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and spent his rookie season on the practice squad. He spent some time with the Raiders and Patriots in 2021 before the Steelers signed him off the New England practice squad when Pressley Harvin III went on bereavement leave.
In two games, he averaged 52.1 yards per punt, and when he was waived upon Harvin’s return, he was claimed by the Denver Broncos. He was Denver’s starting punter in 2022, and averaged 46.6 yards per punt last season. The Broncos did not offer him a contract, allowing Waitman to become a free agent, and he signed with New England.
Waitman’s presence on the waiver wire as an experienced and successful punter could throw a wrench into the Steelers’ plans, as they have apparently been attempting to leverage punter Braden Mann, who the Philadelphia Eagles have shown interest in.
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DiLauro and Williams were both was waived by the Minnesota Vikings. DiLauro, 28, joined the Steelers practice squad mid-season in 2019 and stuck around through the end of training camp in 2020. Since then, he spent two seasons with the Tennessee Titans and was with the Washington Commanders and Denver Broncos last year.
Williams was with the Steelers in OTAs this year, but was released on July 30, early in training camp. He signed with the Vikings on Aug. 3.
Seattle waived Steele, who was with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of USC last training camp. Steele spent time with the Dolphins practice squad last year and then caught on with Seattle in January.
Mack waived by the Tennessee Titans with an injury designation. Mack spent a week on the Steelers practice squad in 2019. He has since played with the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and was with he San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL this spring before signing in Tennessee.