The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing linebacker Kyahva Tezino, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. Tezino spent time with the San Francisco 49ers in training camp last year but was waived prior to the start of the regular season.
Tezino most recently was with the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL. He finished the UFL season with 42 total tackles, eight quarterback pressures, one sack, and three pass breakups. He is the 14th Birmingham Stallions player to get an NFL opportunity so far.
In 2022, Tezino was drafted in the 31st round of the United States Football League (USFL) Draft by the Pittsburgh Maulers. During the 2022 season, he tallied a team-high 94 tackles and two interceptions.
The 6-foot, 235-pound San Diego State alum was a stalwart playing next to Reuben Foster in the middle of the Maulers’ 2023 defense. Tezino ranked second in tackles and tackles for loss that included 13 tackles in the Maulers appearance in the 2023 USFL Championship Game.
He first found his way onto NFL radars with a strong junior season with the Aztecs in 2018, when he recorded an absurd 127 tackles and 8.5 sacks. He followed that up with 99 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions in 2019, getting him an NFL shot with the New England Patriots.
The Steelers brought Tezino for a tryout way back in 2020, after he had been with the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers in his rookie season. Since then, he spent one season in The Spring League and two with the Maulers. He posted 86 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2022 before adding 93 tackles in 2023. He also had two interceptions.
“Maybe my play in the USFL can be a stepping stone to get back to Pittsburgh,” Tezino said before his 2022 season with the Maulers. “They told me they knew who I was and I should go ‘be me.’ Hopefully this year I’ll put up some good film and get another opportunity to play in Pittsburgh.”
Steelers linebackers Payton Wilson (concussion) and Tyler Matakevich (left ankle) both suffered injuries in Saturday night’s preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, so that could be the reason for the Tezino signing.