Steelers Elevate Veteran Linebacker, In Line to Start Again

Alan Saunders |

Updated: Jan 5, 2024

Steelers ILB Myles Jack — Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Myles Jack (16) reaches out to tackle Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Seattle. The Steelers won 30-23. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

The Pittsburgh Steelers have elevated inside linebacker Myles Jack from the practice squad for the third consecutive week, the team announced on Friday. Jack is in line to make his second start and play in his third game with the Steelers since returning from retirement in November.

Jack first played against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16, and he was thrust into a big role right away last week when Elandon Roberts suffered a pec injury, forcing Jack to wear the green dot and play the entire rest of the game. Jack recorded six tackles, two quarterback hits, and a sack in that contest. Last week, Jack started and went wire-to-wire, playing all 49 snaps against the Seattle Seahawks. He recorded eight tackles and was second on the team.

This week, Roberts is set to return from his injury, but Jack has played well enough in his absence to likely continue to start, with Mykal Walker, Mark Robinson and Blake Martinez serving as depth options.

Jack can only be elevated from the practice squad a maximum of three times during the regular season. He can be elevated again in the playoffs, where there is no maximum.

Jack, 28, played in 15 games and made 13 starts for the Steelers last year. He led the Steelers in tackles with 104 last season, and also had three tackles for loss, three passes defended and one quarterback

Jack was released by the Steelers in a salary cap related move in March. After being a free agent for most of the summer, and contemplating leaving football for a trade, he signed with the Eagles on Aug. 6. Jack lasted just a few weeks with the Eagles, when he decided to retire from football on Aug. 20.

Since his retirement, Jack and his mother LaSonjia became the owners of the Allen (Texas) Americans of the ECHL, becoming the first African-American majority owner of a professional hockey team.

A second-round draft pick out of UCLA by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016, Jack spent six seasons with the Jaguars before joining the Steelers as a free agent in 2022.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Jack could not be elevated again in the playoffs.