Steelers Release former SEC Star Defensive Lineman

The Pittsburgh Steelers released former star Mississippi State defensive lineman Marquiss Spencer in the first round of cuts on Monday morning, the team announced.

The Steelers signed Spencer on Aug. 11. At the time of his signing, the Steelers were thin at nose tackle after releasing Jonathan Marshall earlier in training camp and placing Breiden Fehoko on the injured reserve list. They also just got back three-technique defensive tackle Dean Lowry from the PUP list. Spencer was pretty much just a camp body, as he recorded only 28 snaps in the preseason.

Spencer, 27, is in his fourth professional season out of Mississippi State. A 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive lineman, he was originally drafted in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.

He spent his rookie season on the practice squad, but was elevated for one game, a Week 17 contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. After being cut coming out of Broncos training camp in 2022, Spencer caught on with the New York Jets practice squad. He spent all of the last two seasons on the Jets practice squad, without playing in a game. Spencer became a free agent when he was waived by the Jets on March 13.

LEXINGTON, KY – OCTOBER 10, 2020 – Mississippi State Defensive End Marquiss Spencer (#42) during the game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field in Lexington, KY. Photo By Austin Perryman

Spencer played mostly three-technique defensive tackle in the Jets’ 4-3 defensive scheme. In four preseason games last year, 109 of his 137 defensive snaps came over the B-gap between the guard and tackle, according to Pro Football Focus.

A native of Greenwood, Mississippi, Spencer was a two-year starter for the Bulldogs. His best season came in 2019, when he started 13 games and made 37 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and forced two fumbles. An injury held him to nine games as a redshirt senior in 2020.

The Steelers announced the release of eight players on Monday morning. It’s the first wave of roster moves as they cut down from 91 players to a 53-man roster by Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 4 p.m.

STEELERS ROSTER CUT TRACKER

RB Daijun Edwards
WR Jacob Copeland
WR/KR T.J. Luther
OT Devery Hamilton
OG Tyler Beach
DT Marquiss Spencer
LB Kyahva Tezino
CB Kiondre Thomas
CB Kyler McMichael