Steelers to Release Twin DTs Carlos, Khalil Davis

The Pittsburgh Steelers will release 26-year-old twin defensive tackles Carlos and Khalil Davis, according to a report by NFL reporter Dov Kleiman.

Carlos Davis was the Steelers’ seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and he has spent two seasons with the team. The 6-foot-2, 320-pound defensive tackle played in seven games in 2020 as a rookie and appeared to be in line for greater playing time in 2021 before an injury in Week 1 caused him to miss the next 13 games.

Khalil Davis was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers one round before his brother in 2020. He played 2020 and part of 2021 with the Bucs before being waived last October. He was claimed by the Indianapolis Colts off waivers, spent one month there, and then was released a second time.

The Steelers added Khalil Davis to their practice squad on Nov. 2 and he remained there for the rest of 2021 and signed a future contract for 2022. Khalil Davis has played in three NFL games, two with Tampa and one with Indianapolis, and recorded two tackles.

The duo were stuck behind a deep group on the defensive line that got deeper when the Steelers drafted DeMarvin Leal in the third round and signed free agent Larry Ogunjobi over the summer. It’s likely that the Steelers will attempt to keep one or both players on the practice squad. This will be the first time Carlos Davis has gone through waivers.

The Steelers have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday to get down to a 53-man roster. The team has already reportedly released cornerback Linden Stephens, tight end Jace Sternberger, outside linebacker Ron’Dell Carter, offensive lineman John Leglue, defensive lineman Henry Mondeaux, tackle Adrian Ealy and center Ryan McCollum. Players that clear waivers can start to be added to the practice squad on Wednesday.

The Steelers started the offseason with four sets of brothers on their active roster, but are now down to just two. Trey Edmunds was released earlier this offseason. T.J. and Derek Watt and Cam and Connor Heyward remain on the roster.