The Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to sign outside linebacker Tuzar Skipper for his third stint with the team, his agency announced via social media on Wednesday. The term and financial details of the contract were not reported.
Skipper broke into the NFL with the Steelers as undrafted free agent out of Toledo in 2019 and quickly became a fan favorite after a strong performance that preseason. He made the team’s initial 53-man roster, but was waived in the first week of that season and claimed by the New York Giants. The Giants waived him and placed him on their practice squad, but the Steelers re-signed Skipper on Nov. 19, 2019.
He did not appear in a game with the team that season. In 2020, Skipper was among the final players cut from the Steelers’ training camp roster and caught on with the Tennessee Titans, signing to their practice squad on Sept. 15.
With the Titans, he was elevated to the active roster for four games and made two starts while recording five tackles before being lost for the rest of the season with an injury. He re-signed with the Titans for 2021 in January and then re-signed with the club for 2022 before his release in early May.
In total, Skipper has appeared in 10 NFL games and made two starts. He has recored eight total tackles, one-half sack, one quarterback hit and recovered a fumble.
The Steelers are still looking for pass-rush depth behind starters T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. They signed veteran free agent Genard Avery from the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this offseason and brought back Derrek Tuszka and Delontae Scott from 2021, but the team did not land an edge rusher in the 2022 NFL Draft. Auburn’s T.D. Moultry and Texas A&M alum Tyree Johnson are with the club as undrafted free agents.
The Steelers reportedly held workouts for three other NFL veteran edge rushers on Wednesday, as the club hosted free agents Trent Harris, Ifeadi Odenigbo and Wyatt Ray, according to a report by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.