Steelers Waive Versatile Offensive Lineman

The Steelers have waived versatile interior offensive lineman Ryan McCollum, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston reports.

Pittsburgh claimed McCollum off waivers a year ago during training when the Detroit Lions released him. They would subsequently rerelease him before the start of the season, but he spent the entire year on the practice squad, signing a futures contract at the end of the year to come back with the team. During training camp and the preseason, he started out running as the third-team center, but the team started moving him around to right and left guard so guys like Nate Herbig and Spencer Anderson could get experience at center.

McCollum was undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2021, signed with the Houston Texans, and made it onto their practice squad. McCollum was signed from the Texans practice squad by the Detroit Lions last October. Throughout the rest of the season, McCollum remained on Detroit’s active roster. He played in 13 games and made one start against the Denver Broncos on Dec. 12. He also saw significant playing time against the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 9.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound center was a four-year starter for the Aggies, becoming captain for the team in five games during the 2020 season as a critical member of their offensive line.

Pittsburgh now has ten offensive linemen left on the roster, with one or two potential cuts coming. Those last spots will come down to Dylan Cook, Kendrick Green, and Anderson as Pittsburgh scours both the waiver and trade market and looks to keep their best offensive linemen. The question remains if they keep eight or nine offensive linemen, which could drastically change who they decide to keep in those last few spots.

The Steelers have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday to get down to a 53-man roster. Following McCollum’s release, the team has 69 players on the roster.