Seven Former Steelers among Early NFL Cuts

Seven former members of the Pittsburgh Steelers are on waivers or have been released as NFL teams have started their cut-down process from 90 players to 53 ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.

Five players are on waivers after being released over the weekend, and two more are veterans that have been given their outright release. Waivers will not process again until noon on Wednesday, so all players currently on waivers are in limbo until then.

The five former Steelers players on waivers are defensive tackle Doug Costin, defensive tackle Donovan Jeter outside linebacker Delontae Scott, tight end Jace Sternberger and kicker Matthew Wright.

Wide receiver Deon Cain and outside linebacker Taco Charlton have been released as veterans and are free to sign with any team.

Scott was released by the Atlanta Falcons after playing against the Steelers on Thursday night and recording there tackles and two quarterback hurries. The SMU alum spent parts of two seasons with the Steelers from 2021-22. Since he was released by Pittsburgh last September, he spent time with the Carolina Panthers practice squad last fall and played with the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL this spring. He signed with the Falcons late in camp, on Aug. 16.

Wright was put on waivers by the Carolina Panthers, who opted to keep kicker Eddy Piñeiro over him. Wright has had three separate stints with the Steelers, first joining the team as an undrafted free agent out of UCF in 2019. He played one game with the team in 2020 and four games in 2022 in relief of Chris Boswell.

Sternberger was cut loose by the Buffalo Bills. He spent part of the 2021 season on the Steelers’ practice squad and was with the club through the 2022 offseason. Since then, he played for the Birmingham Stallions this spring and signed with the Bills on July 25.

Costin had been with the Las Vegas Raiders. Costin joined the Steelers for training camp in 2022 after having played with the Birmingham Stallions this spring. After being released by the Steelers, he joined the Arlington Renegades for the 2023 spring season and joined Vegas late in camp on Aug. 23.

Jeter, a Beaver Falls native, was let go by the New York Giants. The Steelers signed Jeter as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan last April, but he was cut coming out of training camp and caught on with the Washington Commanders. Jeter also spent time with the Chicago Bears this offseason before joining the Giants early in camp on Aug. 4.

Cain was let go by the Eagles after phenomenal spring season with the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL. The spent parts of the 2019 season and all of the 2020 seasons with the Steelers, and also played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2021 and Eagles in 2021-22.

Charlton was released by the San Francisco 49ers with an injury settlement. He had been placed on the injured reserve with an undisclosed injury on Aug. 19. It’s not clear when he’ll be healthy enough to resume playing for another team. The former first-round pick was with the Steelers in 2021, and has suited up for the Saints, Bears and Jaguars before joining the 49ers on Aug. 1.