Steelers Release Veteran CB from Injured Reserve

The Pittsburgh Steelers have released slot cornerback Duke Dawson from their injured reserve list with an injury settlement, according to the NFL transactions page for Monday, Aug. 21.

Dawson, 26, suffered a knee injury in the team’s preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Aug. 11. The Steelers have not officially acknowledged the nature or prognosis for Dawson’s injury.

He was waived with an injury designation on Aug. 14 and as a vested veteran that does not require waivers, he immediately reverted to the Steelers’ injured reserve list.

Now that the team has released him with a settlement, Dawson is free to sign with another team. Though rare, he can re-sign with the Steelers once three weeks have passed beyond the length of the negotiated injury settlement. The amount and weeks of the settlement were not immediately reported.

Without Dawson in the fold, the four-man competition at slot cornerback has essentially become a three-man rotation between Patrick Peterson, Chandon Sullivan and Elijah Riley, with Sullivan and Riley taking the lion’s share of the reps as the position since Dawson’s injury. Peterson played one snap in the slot in the second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.

A Florida alum, Dawson came into the NFL as the Patriots’ second-round draft pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent only spend one season there, as he was traded to the Denver Broncos. Dawson played three seasons in Denver and was most recently on the Carolina Panthers practice squad. In his career, Dawson has 27 tackles, a fumble recovery, and a pass deflection. He won Super Bowl LIII as a member of the Patriots.

The Steelers first signed Dawson to their practice squad on Oct. 12. He spent the remainder of the 2022 season there and re-signed a reserve/future contract with the team for 2023 this offseason.

The team replaced Dawson on the 90-man roster with former Michigan slot cornerback Lavert Hill.