The Steelers hosted four players for workouts on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston reported. LB Mykal Walker, CB Kalon Barnes, EDGE Kelle Sanders, and EDGE Mitchell Agude are those players.
Walker was released by the Atlanta Falcons earlier this summer and claimed by the Chicago Bears. Then, Walker was released during cut-downs by Chicago and has not caught on elsewhere. A fourth-round pick in 2020 out of Fresno State, Walker is a veteran with plenty of playing experience. Over his three years in Atlanta, he racked up 187 tackles, two forced fumbles, three interceptions, and one sack. In those years, he started 20 games for the Falcons, with 2021 being his most impressive season as an NFL player.
At Fresno State, he was a two-time first-team All-Mountain West selection. Playing a hybrid role off-ball and sometimes as a blitzer off the edge, Walker racked up 182 tackles in his two years with the Bulldogs. He added 22.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks as that hybrid defender up front. The Steelers could be looking for a true inside linebacker to add to the practice squad, with Tariq Carpenter representing a player who is more of a hybrid player.
Meanwhile, Barnes is a speedy cornerback out of Baylor who last played with the Minnesota Vikings. Coming out of Baylor, he ran a 4.23 40-yard dash. A seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL by the Carolina Panthers, Barnes did not make the team’s final roster and bounced around the Panthers to the Dolphins and finally to the Vikings. He has not logged an in-game snap. A former wide receiver, Barnes had 23 tackles, five pass breakups, and an interception in his final season at Baylor.
Sanders is a former Ravens edge rusher. An undrafted free agent out of UAB, he suffered a season-ending injury in his final season after playing ten games. Before that injury, he racked up 36 tackles, three sacks, and two fumble recoveries as part of UAB’s vaunted defense. As an undrafted free agent, he landed with the Ravens, who cut him during last week’s final cut-down period.
Agude is an undrafted free agent out of Miami. The Dolphins signed the edge rusher but waived him during final cut-downs. At Miami, Agude played only one season at Miami after transferring from UCLA. During that season at Miami, he totaled four sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 39 total tackles. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Agude impressed while with the Bruins, becoming a First-Team All-Pac 12 selection after posting 39 pressures that season.