Steelers to Sign Versatile Ex-Packers Defender to Practice Squad

The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing Tariq Carpenter to their practice squad, according to a report by Aaron Wilson of KPRC Houston.

Carpenter, 24, has played all over the defense in his career, with time at safety, edge rusher and inside linebacker while playing with the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers drafted Carpenter in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Carpenter played in 14 games as a rookie, recording eight tackles in all situations. The vast majority of his reps last season came on special teams.

Over two preseasons, Carpenter has been used as a free safety, box safety, linebacker and even as a slot cornerback. This season, he played 63 snaps of defense over the first and third Green Bay preseason games and had six tackles and a pass defended.

That versatility and special teams ability is likely the intriguing thing to the Steelers, who lost special teams ace and athletic linebacker Tanner Muse on waivers to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Carpenter should bring a lot of the same things to the table that Muse did, with the added versatility of being able to play in different places around the formation.

Graded as an off-ball linebacker, Carpenter posted an 8.92 Relative Athletic Score in his pre-draft testing, running a 4.52-second 40-yard dash and posting an 11-foot-4 broad jump and 39-inch vertical, all elite for his position. He did relatively poorly in the change-of-direction drills, with a 4.46-second short shuttle and 7.5-second three-cone drill.

The Steelers have officially announced 13 signings to their practice squad and Carpenter will make 14, with two openings remaining. Carpenter is the only off-ball linebacker on the unit so far. The Steelers have just four linebackers on their active roster: Kwon Alexander, Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Mark Robinson.