Seven former members of the Pittsburgh Steelers have received waivers or been fired as NFL teams began reducing their player roster from 90 to 53 before Tuesday’s deadline.
Five players are subject to dispensation following their release over the weekend, and two others are veterans who received their full release. Waivers will not be processed again until midday on Wednesday, leaving any players currently claiming waivers on hold until then.
The five former Steelers players with waivers are defensive tackle Doug Costin, defensive tackle Donovan Jeter outside linebacker Delontae Scott, tight end Jace Sternberger and kicker Matthew Wright.
Wide receiver Deon Cain and outside linebacker Taco Charlton were released as veterans and are free to sign with either team.
Scott was released by the Atlanta Falcons after playing Thursday night against the Steelers, recording tackles and two quarterback hurries there. The SMU alum spent parts of two seasons with the Steelers from 2021-22. Since being released from Pittsburgh last September, he’s spent time with the Carolina Panthers practice squad last fall and played for the XFL’s San Antonio Brahmas this spring. He signed with the Falcons late at camp on August 16th.
Wright was given special permits by the Carolina Panthers, who opted to let kicker Eddy Piñeiro over them. Wright had three separate stints with the Steelers, first joining the team in 2019 as an undrafted free agent from UCF. He played one game with the team in 2020 and four games in 2022 as a stand-in for Chris Boswell.
Sternberger was fired by the Buffalo Bills. He spent part of the 2021 season on the Steelers practice team and was with the club until the 2022 season break. He has since played for the Birmingham Stallions in the spring and signed with the Bills on July 25.
Costin had been with the Las Vegas Raiders. Costin joined the Steelers for training camp in 2022 after playing for the Birmingham Stallions this spring. After being released by the Steelers, he joined the Arlington Renegades for the spring 2023 season, making a switch to Vegas late in camp on August 23.
Jeter, a Beaver Falls native, was released by the New York Giants. The Steelers signed Jeter as an undrafted free agent from Michigan last April, but he was released from training camp and joined the Washington Commanders. Jeter also spent time with the Chicago Bears this offseason before moving to the Giants on August 4 at the start of camp.
Cain was released by the Eagles after a phenomenal spring season with the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL. He spent part of the 2019 season and all of the 2020 season with the Steelers, and also played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2021 and the Eagles in 2021-22.
Charlton was released by the San Francisco 49ers with a claims settlement. He was placed on injured reserve on August 19 due to an unknown injury. It’s not clear when he will be healthy enough to play for another team again. The former first-round pick was with the Steelers in 2021, playing for the Saints, Bears and Jaguars before joining the 49ers on Aug. 1.