Steelers Release Undrafted Pass Rusher

The Steelers have released undrafted free agent pass rusher Toby Ndukwe as part of the team’s ten cuts on Monday, the team announced.

Pittsburgh signed Ndukwe after a successful tryout in May during OTAs. He played in all three preseason games, notching a sack against Atlanta, 1 QB Hit, and 4 QB pressures over those three games. According to Pro Football Focus, Ndukwe nabbed five run stops over those games.

Ndukwe is a 6-foot-2, 250-pound outside linebacker who came to the Steelers after spending the 2022 season at Sam Houston State. In his lone season with the Bearkats, Ndukwe played in eight games, posting 34 tackles, 10 for a loss, one-half of a sack and five hurries. He also had an interception and two passes defended. He was named an all-WAC first-team selection.

Before Sam Houston State, Ndukwe spent five seasons at SMU. He redshirted in 2017 and played as a reserve in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, he played in all ten games, making five starts and registering 11 tackles, one for a loss and one quarterback hurry. In 2021, he moved back to a primarily special teams role.

A native of Richmond, Texas, Ndukwe attended George Ranch High School, the same school as NFL players Darius Anderson, Kingsley Keke and Quintin Morris.

Ndukwe will leave the Steelers outside linebacker room with a still-loaded group of players. Quincy Roche and David Perales are two young players sticking around. At the same time, T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Markus Golden, and Nick Herbig showed out during the preseason to give Pittsburgh a powerful group of pass rushers. With his explosiveness, Ndukwe had flashes during the preseason and training camp, showcasing that he could potentially stick somewhere in the NFL.

Ndukwe’s helped bring the Steelers down to 72 players on their active roster. The team has until 4 p.m. on Tuesday to reach the NFL regular season limit of 53 players.