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Steelers Sign Outside Linebacker amid Depth Crunch
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed free agent outside linebacker Marcus Hayes amid a depth crunch at the position.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed outside linebacker Marcus Haynes. Haynes has a locker at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and is expected to take part in the team’s practice on Tuesday.
Haynes, 26, is in his second professional season out of Old Dominion. He originally signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2023, and spent the preseason with Denver last season. In three games, he had five tackles, one pass defended and one quarterback hit.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Haynes was released by Denver and signed to the Broncos practice squad until his release on Nov. 27. The Houston Texans signed him to a future contract for the 2024 season in February, but he was waived on May 28. Haynes signed with the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL on Aug. 2, but his contract was terminated four days later when he signed with the Cleveland Browns. The Browns cut him on Aug. 12.
The Steelers did not utilize starting outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith in their second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. Highsmith has been dealing with a groin injury and has yet to practice fully. Second-team outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon was limited to five snaps of defense and seven on special teams for unknown reasons.
That left Nate Herbig and undrafted rookie Julius Welschof in the starting lineup, and essentially only Kyron Johnson as depth. Defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal played 11 snaps of outside linebacker on Saturday, per Pro Football Focus. The signing of Haynes will ease the team’s depth crunch.
A Bowie, Maryland native, Haynes attended Fork Union Military Academy in Central Virginia and then Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Haynes redshirted in his freshman season in 2017, but became a highly used reserve beginning in 2018. He did not become a full-time starter until 2022, when he was a redshirt senior. That was his best statistical season. In 12 games, Haynes recorded 47 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, a forced fumble and three pass breakups.
In pre-draft testing, Haynes showed excellent explosiveness, with a 34.5-inch vertical jump, a 9-foot-11 broad jump, a 1.64-second 10-yard split on his 40-yard dash and a 7.09-second three-cone drill. His long speed was just average, with a 4.83-second 40-yard dash. His overall Relative Athletic Score was a 7.39 out of 10.
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