Steelers Bring Back Respected Special Teams Ace
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed inside linebacker Tyler Matakevich to a one-year contract, the team announced on Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed. Safety Jalen Elliott was released in a corresponding move.
Matakevich is a familiar face to the Steelers, as he was the team’s seventh-round selection out of Temple in the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent his first four seasons in Pittsburgh before playing the last four with the Buffalo Bills.
Matakevich, 31, has played 129 games in his eight-year career. He’s made just one career start. He has 47 career tackles, including 31 solo stops, four passes defensed and one interception.
Matakevich is known as a special teams ace, recording 64 special teams tackles in his career. In 2019, Matakevich was the NFL co-leader in special teams tackles with 16, which was a career-high for him, with 14 of them solo stops.
Matakevich joins a crowded inside linebackers room. Patrick Queen, Elandon Roberts, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb, and Mark Robinson are the top five backers. Matakevich could push out Robinson, however. Holcomb is also coming back from a devastating season-ending knee injury.
Given the strong linebacker depth, the move is somewhat of a surprise, but Matakevich can be a major asset on special teams, especially with the new kickoff rule.
Elliott, 25, was an undrafted free agent in the class of 2020. He found time with the Detroit Lions in 2020 and 2021 and then spent last year with the New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders. Elliott has 12 total tackles in his NFL career.
Elliot has had several stints with the Steelers. He was released at the end of training camp before being brought back to the practice squad on Oct. 31. He was released in late November, and then returned to the practice squad in mid-December. The Steelers signed him to a reserve/futures contract in January.
Elliott played in all three preseason games with the Steelers last season. Elliott earned a solid 71.3 PFF tackling grade in those games, racking up 11 tackles over the three games. However, teams went at Elliott during games, allowing 13 receptions on 13 targets for 108 receiving yards and two touchdowns over those three games.
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