With rookie tackle Troy Fautanu (knee) out for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Pittsburgh Steelers elevated offensive lineman John Leglue to the active roster. Cornerback James Pierre was also promoted.
After suffering a number of serious injuries, the Steelers brought Leglue back to their practice squad on Aug. 30.
Leglue, 28, was with the Steelers from 2020-22, playing in six games for the team while spending most of his time in Pittsburgh on the practice squad. The Steelers initially signed the Tulane alum on Dec. 29, 2020, and he spent the remainder of that season on the practice squad without appearing in a game.
The Steelers re-signed Leglue for 2021, and he was waived after training camp and added to the practice squad. He was called up to the 53-man roster on Nov. 27 after a rash of injuries and played in six straight games to finish the season, starting five at left guard.
After spending the entire 2022 season on the Steelers practice squad without appearing in a game, Leglue signed with the Tennessee Titans for the 2023 season. He was waived after training camp, and was out of the league until signing with the Atlanta Falcons practice squad on Nov. 8. Leglue re-signed with Atlanta for 2024, but was waived on Aug. 25.
The 6-foot-7, 310-pound Leglue has five-position versatility across the offensive line. His regular season playing time has been limited to left tackle and left guard, but he has played all five slots in NFL preseason games.
At Tulane, Leglue played all five positions as well, serving as a backup right tackle in 2015, filling in at center in 2016, then moving back to right tackle in 2017 and then starting at right guard in 2018. Before his first stint with the Steelers, Leglue also played for the Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, but did not appear in any games.
The Steelers re-signed Pierre to their practice squad on Sept. 17.
Pierre, 28, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Steelers after first joining the team as an undrafted free agent out of FAU in 2020. Pierre signed with the Washington Commanders as a free agent on March 21 this spring and was released on Aug. 27.
The Steelers will almost certainly want to utilize Pierre as a punt gunner, a role he filled in all four of his seasons with the Steelers.
With Pierre having moved on, the Steelers had been utilizing a combination of cornerback Darius Rush and wide receivers Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek to cover punts through the first two games of this season.
Skowronek suffered a shoulder injury against the Broncos and was placed on injured reserve, so Pierre’s signing appears to be insurance for his availability in the near future.
A 6-foot-2, 185-pound native of Deerfield Beach, Florida, Pierre played 66 games from 2020-24 for the Steelers, and made six starts at cornerback, all in 2021 and 22. Pierre had his best season in 2021, when he recorded 47 tackles, forced three fumbles and had four passes defended and one interception.
He was passed in the rotation for playing time at cornerback by the rookie, Rush in 2023, and the return of Cory Trice from injury this year left Pierre without a spot in Pittsburgh, but his prowess on special teams might give him a reprieve for 2024.