Steelers Waive Depth Defensive Tackle

The Pittsburgh Steelers have released defensive lineman Manny Jones among the team’s second round of cuts announced on Monday.

Jones, 24, is in his second NFL season out of Colorado State. He originally signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent last spring, but the Steelers claimed him off waivers on May 16, 2023.

Jones worked in behind a deep group of defensive tackles for the Steelers, playing behind starters Cam Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi and backups Armon Watts and Isaiahh Loudermilk.

In three preseason games, Jones played 58 total snaps of defense, with his most playing time in the opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when he got 26 reps, according to Pro Football Focus. In three games, Jones did not record a single defensive statistic.

With the Cardinals last fall, Jones played in two games and finished the season with 59 defensive snaps, six combined tackles, and one quarterback pressure.

In his five years at Colorado State, Jones played in 50 games and recorded 181 combined tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, one interception, two passes defended, and two forced fumbles.

The cut was one of 10 on Monday to bring the Steelers down to 72 players on their active roster. The team has until 4 p.m. on Tuesday to reach the NFL regular season limit of 53 players.

Jones will be on waivers until Wednesday at noon. If he clears, he can sign with any other NFL team or join the Steelers practice squad.

The Steelers have nine defensive linemen remaining on their roster, and will likely keep eight at the very most.