Steelers Transactions

Steelers Cut Ex-Broncos OLB after One Week on Roster

Published

1 month ago

August 27, 2024

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Marcus Haynes during practice on Aug. 27, 2024. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

The Pittsburgh Steelers have released outside linebacker Marcus Haynes, the team announced on Tuesday afternoon. Haynes, who was signed by the Steelers on Aug. 20, was a part of the final wave of roster cuts as the Steelers trimmed their roster from 91 to 53 players.

The Steelers are set at outside linebacker with T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, so Haynes had an uphill battle to earn a roster spot from the beginning.

Haynes, 26, is in his second professional season out of Old Dominion. He originally signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2023, and spent the preseason with Denver last season. In three games, he had five tackles, one pass defended and one quarterback hit.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Haynes was released by Denver and signed to the Broncos practice squad until his release on Nov. 27. The Houston Texans signed him to a future contract for the 2024 season in February, but he was waived on May 28. Haynes signed with the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL on Aug. 2, but his contract was terminated four days later when he signed with the Cleveland Browns. The Browns cut him on Aug. 12.

A Bowie, Maryland native, Haynes attended Fork Union Military Academy in Central Virginia and then Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Haynes redshirted in his freshman season in 2017, but became a highly used reserve beginning in 2018. He did not become a full-time starter until 2022, when he was a redshirt senior. That was his best statistical season. In 12 games, Haynes recorded 47 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, a forced fumble and three pass breakups.

In pre-draft testing, Haynes showed excellent explosiveness, with a 34.5-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot-11 broad jump, a 1.64-second 10-yard split on his 40-yard dash and a 7.09-second three-cone drill. His long speed was just average, with a 4.83-second 40-yard dash. His overall Relative Athletic Score was a 7.39 out of 10.