Steelers Release Cornerback with Injury Settlement

The Pittsburgh Steelers have released cornerback Luq Barcoo from their injured reserve list with an injury settlement, according to the NFL transactions report for Wednesday.

Barcoo had been waived with an injury designation on June 3. He cleared waivers and reverted to the injured reserve list the next day.

The amount of an NFL injury settlement is the prorated amount that a player would earn for the amount of time he is expected to miss while on the injured reserve list. The specific amount of Barcoo’s settlement has not been reported and the Steelers did not announce anything about the nature of his injury. His settlement will count against the Steelers 2024 salary cap. Barcoo will be free to sign with another team after he is healthy. If he had stayed with the Steelers, he would not have been eligible to play this season.

Barcoo spent all of 2023 on the Steelers’ practice squad, joining the team in the spring after playing for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Cleveland native played in two preseason games for the Steelers last fall, playing in 31 snaps against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 11 against the Atlanta Falcons. He did not record any statistics.

Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver Dez Fitzpatrick and cornerback Luq Barcoo at training camp, Aug. 4, 2023. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

Before joining the Steelers, he played 10 games with San Antonio last spring under head coach Hines Ward. He made 31 tackles and also had two sacks. His 85.0 coverage grade by PFF was the second-highest of all XFL cornerbacks.

Barcoo first signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent out of San Diego State in 2020. He spent his entire rookie season on the Jaguars active roster, playing in three games and making one start. He had 10 tackles, one for a loss, and defended one pass.

In 2021, he was among Jacksonville’s cuts on Aug. 19 after playing in one preseason game. He was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Cardinals and spent five weeks in Arizona without dressing in a game. He was then waived a second time, cleared waivers, and was added to the Arizona practice squad on Sept. 30. The Cardinals released Barcoo from their practice squad on Oct. 12. He was added to the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad on Nov. 24 and finished the season there before being released on Jan. 18, 2022.