Steelers Land Former Arizona Cardinals Defensive Lineman

The Steelers have claimed former Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Manny Jones off waivers, according to a report by Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston.

Arizona cut Jones on Monday after shuffling the deck of their team. He spent all of last year with them after being an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State. While with Arizona, Jones made the team’s practice squad and was elevated four times throughout the 2022 season, playing in four games.

In those four games, he registered six tackles and one run stuff. Jones registered one tackle pressure according to Pro Football Focus across 23 pass rush snaps. He played 59 snaps total across those four games. According to his snap counts, Jones played anywhere from a 7-technique to a 1-technique. That gives him plenty of versatility to move up and down the line.

The move corresponds with the Steelers placing Renell Wren on injured reserve after he suffered an apparent injury. Wren will miss the entire 2023 NFL season as a result. Pittsburgh still has two open roster spots after these moves since Wren will not count against the 90-man roster.

While at Colorado State, Jones was a two-time All-Mountain West selection in 2020 and 2021. He never proved to be much of a sack artist, posting a career-high 5 sacks in 2019. Jones played from the outset as a freshman, playing in all 11 games. Across his five years in Fort Collins, he racked up 13.5 sacks and 33 tackles for loss as a primary run stuffer.

Now, he will have a chance to compete for a spot on the defensive line with the Steelers. Wren was elevated multiple times in the 2022 season, so it could be possible that whichever defensive lineman earns that spot could be elevated. Jones is trying to throw his hat into the mix after getting some opportunities with the Cardinals in 2022.