Steelers Sign Former Patriots CB Duke Dawson, Release RB Jason Huntley From Practice Squad

The Steelers have signed former Patriots and Broncos cornerback Duke Dawson to their practice squad and released RB Jason Hun, the team announced on Wednesday.

Dawson’s signing comes after a bevy of injuries that the Steelers endured at the cornerback position. On Tuesday, Mike Tomlin named Ahkello Witherspoon, Cam Sutton, and Levi Wallace all on the Pittsburgh injury report prior to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game this Sunday.

Dawson, 26, is a product of Florida who was a First-Team All-SEC selection in the 2017 season. At the 2018 NFL Combine, Dawson ran a 4.46 40-yard dash and benched 15 reps of 225 pounds. The 5-foot-10 cornerback worked out for teams as a slot cornerback and outside cornerback.

Dawson came into the NFL as the Patriots’ second-round draft pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. But he would only spend one season there, as he was traded to the Denver Broncos. Dawson played three seasons in Denver and was most recently on the Carolina Panthers practice squad. In his career, Dawson has 27 tackles, a fumble recovery, and a pass deflection. He won Super Bowl LIII as a member of the Patriots.

In his career, he has played outside cornerback, slot cornerback, and dimebacker. A versatile defensive back, Dawson last played in a game in 2020 with the Broncos, where he registered 175 snaps over the course of the season.

As for Huntley, his time comes to an end in Pittsburgh for now. He was one of two running backs on the practice squad along with Anthony McFarland. He signed with the team prior to the start of the regular season and followed Steelers assistant general manager Andy Wiedl.