Steelers Sign 6, Including Veteran Receiver Johnny Holton

The Steelers signed veteran receiver Johnny Holton on Monday and gave contracts to five players who participated in the team’s rookie minicamp.

Holton was waived by the Eagles last week after spending his first three seasons with the Raiders. Even though Holton, who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Cincinnati in 2016, hasn’t yet received an opportunity to put up numbers, but the Steelers may see his size and speed as reason to give him a shot.

In three pro seasons, he made 11 catches for 252 yards and started one game. He also had six carries for 43 yards. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound receiver out of Cincinnati was clocked at 22.23 miles per hour on a play in Week 7 of the 2016 season, says 247 Sports.

The Steelers also offered contracts to five players that took part in rookie minicamp over the weekend: defensive tackle Greg Gilmore, quarterback Devlin Hodges, defensive end Henry Mondeaux, offensive tackle Damian Prince and linebacker Tuzar Skipper.

Gilmore, a 6-foot-4, 311-pound, first-year player out of LSU, spent training camp with the Steelers in 2018 after going undrafted. He was cut on September 1, and signed with the Memphis Express of the AAF, where had six tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery, before re-joining the Steelers this spring.

Hodges, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound undrafted rookie from Samford passed for over 4,000 yards and 32 touchdowns in his senior season with the Bulldogs, won the Walter Peyton Award for most outstanding FCS player and was a three-time FCS All-American.

Mondeaux, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound first-year player, is on his third NFL team after going undrafted out of Oregon. He spent 2018 with New Orleans during training camp and spent time on the Saints’ practice squad, but signed a futures contract with the Kansas City Chiefs before being released on May 3.

Prince was the opposite bookend to Steelers seventh-round pick Derwin Gray at Maryland. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound lineman was a three-year starter for the Terps at right tackle.

Skipper is a 6-foot-3, 246-pound outside linebacker that is making the transition after playing defensive end at Toledo. As a senior in 2018, he made 60 tackles, 11.5 for a loss and had 8.5 sacks to lead the Rockets. He was fourth in the Mid-American Conference in sacks, trailing leader Sutton Smith of NIU, one of the Steelers sixth-round draft picks.

To make room on the 90-man roster, the Steelers released linebacker Keion Adams, defensive end Jay Hayes, defensive tackle Chris Nelson, offensive lineman R.J. Prince, quarterback Brogan Roback and wide receiver Ka’Raun White.

Adams was the Steelers seventh-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He spent 2017 on the injured reserve and the 2018 season on the practice squad. Hayes and Nelson joined the team as undrafted free agents after the 2019 draft.