Steelers Protect Charlton, Joseph, Samuels on Practice Squad

The Pittsburgh Steelers protected three players from their practice squad for Week 4 of the 2021 NFL season.

The Steelers protected outside linebacker Taco Charlton, strong safety Karl Joseph and running back Jaylen Samuels from being signed by another team on Tuesday. The maximum number of players each team can protect each week is four.

Charlton was just signed by the team last week, with injuries to starting outside linebackers Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt thinning the team’s depth at the position. Highsmith and Watt are expected to return to practice on Wednesday. The Steelers also promoted outside linebacker Derrek Tuszka from the practice squad to the active roster on Tuesday and waived outside linebacker Jamir Jones.

Joseph has been with the Steelers since just before the start of the regular season, while Samuels has been with the club since 2019 and is in his first season on the practice squad.