Steelers Re-Sign Linebacker Marcus Allen

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers re-signed inside linebacker Marcus Allen on Thursday after placing safety Damontae Kazee on the injured reserve list.

Allen was one of the team’s final five cuts to get down to the 53-man roster limit on Tuesday. Kazee needed to be on the initial 53-man roster in order to be eligible to be re-activated from the injured reserve list at some point this season.

Allen has been with the Steelers since being selected in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. He was also cut by the Steelers before the 2019 campaign, but landed on the practice squad and stayed with the organization.

Originally drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Penn State as a safety, Allen has played inside linebacker since 2020. He started two games that season after a slew of injuries at the position. Last season, he became a regular on special teams and ended up playing in 16 of the Steelers’ 18 games.

At Penn State, Allen’s famous play was his blocked field goal against Ohio State in 2016 that Grant Haley picked up and returned for the game-winning touchdown of the Lions’ biggest win under James Franklin to date.

Allen finished his career at Penn State with the fifth most tackles in school history. His last season in Happy Valley was his best one, as he earned third team All-America honors and made first-team All-Big Ten. In his last game, Allen was named Fiesta Bowl defensive MVP, helping Penn State to a win over Washington.

The Steelers have five inside linebackers on their active roster in starters Myles Jack and Devin Bush, Robert Spillane, rookie Mark Robinson and Allen. The team kept six inside linebackers on their active roster throughout last season. Buddy Johnson was also released as part of the team’s 24 cuts earlier on Tuesday.

Marcus Allen signed a restricted free agent tender with the Steelers over the offseason worth $2.54 million. He will technically have to agree to a new contract, though players re-signed in his circumstance usually sign for the same amount again. His release will not incur any salary cap penalties for the Steelers.