Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Trenton Thompson worked out for the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. The Steelers waived Thompson on June 19.
Thompson, 26, first joined the Steelers last August during training camp, and played well when called upon last season as the club went through an unprecedented stretch of injuries at the safety position.
Thompson played in six games for the Steelers last season and started one. He recorded 22 tackles, three passes defended and one interception, before he also suffered an injury, a major neck ailment, causing him to miss the last three games of the regular season and the playoff game.
The recovery was lengthy, stretching into the offseason. Thompson told Steelers Now earlier this year that he chose not to have surgery on the injury.
“Yeah, I went non-surgical,” Thompson said. “Personally, I wasn’t feeling surgery. Doctors also said it didn’t look like I needed it. I also had conversations with Micah Hyde throughout the offseason, because he was the only person that I could talk to that related to the injury. And he recommended I don’t (get surgery) unless the pain is too severe.”
Thompson was a regular participant in the team’s OTAs and minicamp practice sessions this spring. It’s unclear if his release was related to his injury. The Steelers drafted safety Ryan Watts in the sixth round, which could have contributed to Thompson’s departure.
Thompson went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft out of San Diego State but signed with the New York Giants as a priority free agent. After failing to make the Giants’ 53-man roster, Thompson was re-signed to the team’s practice squad for the 2022 NFL season.
The Giants promoted Thompson to the team’s active roster on Nov. 23. He played 12 snaps, all on special teams, and then was released back to the practice squad.
The Carolina Panthers brought Thompson in for a workout on July 22 but the club did not sign him.