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Steelers Let Promising Edge Rusher Walk without Offering Contract
The Pittsburgh Steelers did not tender a contract to outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon before the 4 p.m. deadline on Thursday, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent, the NFL announced on Wednesday.
Moon had been an exclusive rights free agent, meaning all the Steelers needed to do to maintain his rights was to offer a one-year contract at the league minimum salary.
Moon will now become an unrestricted free agent. The Steelers could technically still re-sign Moon, though there would be no benefit to waiting for him to hit the open market to do so.
A 6-foot-5, 247-pound outside linebacker, Moon came to the Steelers early in 2024, when the team claimed him off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens. With the Steelers, Moon suffered a preseason injury, causing him to miss the first four games of the season.
He was active in the final 13 contests, playing mostly on special teams. He had three games of elevated playing time at outside linebacker, while Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig were both dealing with injuries.
Moon played 28 snaps of defense against the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 6, recording his first tackle with the Steelers. He then played 45 snaps in Week 6 at the Las Vegas Raiders, making two tackles. Moon then appeared in 14 snaps against the New York Jets and made one more tackle. After that stretch, Moon played just 24 snaps on defense the rest of the season.
The Steelers have taken no steps to replace Moon by adding any edge rushers to their roster, by newly signed free agent inside linebacker Malik Harrison is expected to be a multi-phase special teams player this season.
In addition to Moon, the Steelers had one other exclusive rights free agent, center Ryan McCollum. He agreed to a one-year contract earlier this week.