Ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline to finalize their 53-man roster, the Steelers pulled off two trades to bolster two positions that needed addressed.
First, the Steelers acquired OLB Malik Reed and a seventh-round pick from the Broncos in exchange for a sixth-round pick.
Reed, 26, signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2019, and has had a modestly productive three seasons in Denver. He has started a total of 34 games, racking up 15 sacks and 74 tackles. He has also hit the quarterback 25 times over the past two seasons.
"He's an edge guy who provides quality depth for us," Mike Tomlin said of Reed after Tuesday's practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "He brings a type of experience that is helpful for us."
Adding depth behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith at outside linebacker was a huge priority, and was perhaps the biggest need on the roster. The drop off from Watt and Highsmith to the group behind them was far too great in order to sustain a pass rush for when those guys weren't on the field. Adding a player with Reed's pass-rushing ability lessens that gap with only a $2,433,000 cap hit.
The Steelers also acquired OL Jesse Davis from the Vikings in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick. The 30-year-old can play either tackle or guard and has started 72 games throughout his career. After spending the first five years of his career with the Dolphins, Davis signed a 1-year, $3 million deal with the Vikings. He'll earn $1.5 million with the Steelers.
This was just one of many moves made Tuesday. The Steelers also cut 28 players in order to trim the roster down to 53 players by the 4:00 p.m. deadline:
Running backs (2): Anthony McFarland, Max Borghi.
Wide receivers (3): Tyler Snead, Tyler Vaughns, Cody White.
Tight ends (2): Kevin Rader, Jace Sternberger.
Offensive line (7): Joe Haeg, William Dunkle, Adrian Ealy, Chaz Green, John Leglue, Ryan McCollum, Trent Scott.
Defensive line (4): Carlos Davis, Khalil Davis, Donovan Jeter, Henry Mondeaux.
Linebackers (6): Buddy Johnson, Ron'Dell Carter, Hamilcar Rashed, Delontae Scott, James Vaughters, Marcus Allen.
Defensive backs (4): Justin Layne, Elijah Riley, Chris Steele, Linden Stephens.
The Steelers also waived/injured Carlins Platel, bringing the total number of cuts to 29.
These moves, including the acquisition of Reed and Davis, brought the Steelers to 53 players.
However, it's worth noting that the initial 53-man roster will not be the final 53 players come Week 1. For example, Damontae Kazee is part of the initial 53-man group, but will be put on injured reserve later this week. If the Steelers did not add him to the 53-man roster first, he couldn't return this season.
It's also highly unlikely the Steelers carry seven receivers or 10 defensive backs. So even though the roster is trimmed, more moves are on the way.
As of Tuesday's deadline, here is the Steelers' 53-man roster:
Quarterbacks (3): Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph.
Running backs (4): Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, Benny Snell, Derek Watt.
Wide receivers (7): Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, George Pickens, Calvin Austin III, Gunner Olszewski, Miles Boykin, Steve Sims.
Tight ends (3): Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry, Connor Heyward.
Offensive line (8): Dan Moore, Kevin Dotson, Mason Cole, James Daniels, Chuks Okorafor, Kendrick Green, J.C. Hassenauer, Jesse Davis.
Defensive line (7): Cam Heyward, Tyson Alualu, Larry Ogunjobi, Chris Wormley, DeMarvin Leal, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Montravius Adams.
Outside linebackers (4): T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Malik Reed, Derrek Tuszka.
Inside linebackers (4): Myles Jack, Devin Bush, Robert Spillane, Mark Robinson.
Defensive backs (10): Cam Sutton, Ahkello Witherspoon, Levi Wallace, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Terrell Edmunds, Tre Norwood, Miles Killebrew, James Pierre, Damontae Kazee, Arthur Maulet.
Specialists (3): Chris Boswell, Pressley Harvin III, Christian Kuntz.
