Steelers Waive Speedy Cornerback

The Pittsburgh Steelers have cut cornerback Chris Wilcox as part of the team’s final cut-down to a 53-man roster on Tuesday.

Wilcox had been in competition with incumbent James Pierre and others to be the team’s fourth outside cornerback, and hoping to use his long frame and elite speed (he ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash) as weapons, but was unable to secure a roster spot.

He played in 61 defensive snaps over the course of the preseason, getting 26 snaps in the opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24 against the Buffalo Bills and 11 against the Atlanta Falcons.

He was targeted one time in coverage, and gave up one 8-yard completion, according to PFF. He finished the preseason with six tackles in all situations.

A 6-foot-2, 195-pound BYU product, Wilcox was a seventh-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. He never made the Bucs squad, but was claimed on waivers by the Indianapolis Colts, where he spent most of the 2021 season on the practice squad, but did not appear in a game.

The Colts released Wilcox from their practice squad this Sept. 13. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals to their practice squad on Dec. 28 for the final weeks of the season, but not retained and signed with the Steelers in January.

The Steelers have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday to get down to the league-mandated 53-man regular season roster limit.

Players such as Wilcox that are on waivers will remain on waivers until noon on Wednesday, when players that clear can start being added to practice squads.