Former Steelers DE Visits Panthers

According to the NFL transaction page, the Carolina Panthers hosted former Steelers defensive lineman Chris Wormley for a visit on Monday. It is now the third visit of some type that Wormley has had this offseason, along with the New England Patriots and New York Giants.

Wormley has been an unrestricted free agent since his contract with the Steelers expired in March but has also been recovering from the ACL surgery that ended his 2022 season with the Steelers.

The reliable defensive lineman would have likely had a healthy market as a free agent had he not suffered the injury that cost him most of his offseason.

Wormley was injured in the Steelers’ home game against the Baltimore Ravens last December when he went down with a non-contact knee injury. The injury ended Wormley’s season and cost him most of the offseason as well. On Instagram, Wormley expressed his gratitude for the support he received after the injury.

Following the surgery, Wormley was expected to miss somewhere between six to nine months with the injury. 

Wormley was in the final year of his two-year contract with the Steelers, meaning that he also hit free agency with the injury looming over his head. 

Before the injury, Chris Wormley racked up 29 tackles, a forced fumble, and 0.5 sacks on the season as a rotational player along the Steelers’ defensive line. 

When the injury happened, Pittsburgh signed Jonathan Marshall to the 53-man roster to fill some snaps that Wormley left behind. Since then, they have added second-round draft pick Keeanu Benton and free agents Breiden Fehoko and Armon Watts to a strong, deep defensive line unit.

That depth, and the upcoming difficult cut-down at that position, makes it unlikely that the Steelers would be interested in having Wormley return, especially with the players they roster there on the 53-man roster.