Category: Pittsburgh Steelers

Isaiah Hodgins is heading back in New York. The sixth-year receiver has worked out a deal to return to the Giants, as first reported by Dan Duggan of The Athletic.

Hodgins has since confirmed the news (h/t ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). He had been on the Steelers’ practice squad, but he will now return to the Giants by joining their active roster. Today’s news comes one day after Lil’Jordan Humphrey departed New York’s taxi squad to return to the Broncos.

The Giants’ receiving corps has been without Malik Nabers since his ACL tear. As expected, the unit has struggled following that injury and Darius Slayton could now miss time with a hamstring ailment. This Hodgins reunion could thus result in immediate playing time.

The former Bills sixth-rounder only made three regular season appearances with Buffalo before finding himself in New York. Hodgins racked up 391 yards during his time with the Giants in 2022 before serving a regular role on offense once again the following year. 2024 was a different story, though, as the 27-year-old bounced on and off the Giants’ active roster while only playing three games.

At the end of the campaign, Hodgins signed a futures pact with the 49ers. That allowed him to spend training camp in San Francisco, although he did not survive final roster cuts. Hodgins joined the Steelers by inking a practice squad deal; after not seeing any game time in Pittsburgh, he will no look to do so in a familiar environment.

The Giants will begin the post-Brian Daboll era on Sunday against the Packers. It will be interesting to see if Hodgins suits up for that contest and in doing so logs a depth role on offense. Even if not, he could chip in over the closing weeks of the campaign and thus look to earn an extended stay in New York.

After winning the national championship in his lone season at Ohio State in 2024, quarterback Will Howard entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick of the Steelers last spring. Howard broke his hand early in training camp, though, forcing him to begin his career on injured reserve. After opening Howard’s 21-day practice window on Oct. 22, the Steelers activated the 24-year-old to their 53-man roster on Wednesday.

Taken 185th in the draft, Howard was always regarded as a developmental project for the Steelers. Even if he didn’t succumb to an injury over the summer, Howard was unlikely to see meaningful playing time this season.

Howard joined a team that brought in future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers as its new starter and the experienced Mason Rudolph as its primary backup during the offseason. Rodgers has stayed healthy during the Steelers’ 5-4 start, leaving just six snaps for Rudolph thus far.

The Steelers reportedly hope to retain Rodgers, who will turn 42 in December, next season. Rudolph is already under contract for 2026 after signing a two-year, $8MM deal. The Steelers will have plenty of time to figure out their QB setup for next year. In the meantime, they’ll get Howard back as an emergency third option.

As PFR’s IR tracker shows, Howard’s activation leaves the Steelers with five for the rest of the season. To make room for Howard, the Steelers waived running back Trey Sermon from their active roster. The former 49er, Eagle, and Colt signed a one-year pact with the Steelers last May. Sermon has appeared in four games this season, his fifth in the league, but 47 of his 48 snaps have come on special teams.

Asante Samuel Jr.‘s extensive visit schedule will stop in Pittsburgh. The Steelers will be adding the free agent cornerback, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.

Although Fowler adds this is a practice squad deal, Samuel seemed to have options. He scheduled visits with the Panthers, Packers, Vikings, 49ers, Steelers and Bears. Pittsburgh was to be Samuel’s last visit, and that was scheduled for Wednesday. The extensively pursued defender has a new home long after becoming a first-time free agent.

Part of PFR’s top 50 free agents list, Samuel saw his stock freefall after it became known he needed spinal fusion surgery. The four-year Chargers starter was only cleared last week, but a host of teams took interest in that development. Players with Samuel’s combination of age (26) and starting experience (47 games) are not regularly available in November, and a Steelers defense that has taken a step back this season could receive some help.

Samuel joins a Steelers team that overhauled its cornerback cast alongside Joey Porter Jr. this offseason. The team signed Darius Slay and Brandin Echols before trading for Jalen Ramsey. The likely Hall of Fame-bound trade pickup had shifted to safety midseason but slid back to corner amid injury troubles for that unit. Slay suffered a concussion during the Steelers’ Week 10 loss to the Chargers. James Pierre saw increased duty following Slay’s injury, but the Steelers have not performed well in nearly all defensive aspects this season. Samuel could help, and he may need to make an impact to avoid a “prove it” deal in 2026.

Pittsburgh ranks last against the pass and has allowed the fifth-most total yards this season. While the team ranks 20th in points allowed and 19th in EPA per pass, a veteran-heavy defense has proven unreliable. Slay, 34, ranks outside Pro Football Focus’ top 70 corners; Porter sits 50th, Echols 56th. While Ramsey is faring well and attempting to become the latest 30-something corner to transition to safety, not much has gone right around him. The Steelers have now added Samuel and Kyle Dugger in-season, with the latter being acquired via trade with the Patriots.

Before it became known Samuel needed spinal fusion surgery, PFR ranked him 32nd among free agents entering the 2025 league year. The former Los Angeles-based ballhawk missed 13 games last season due to a stinger-type injury — at least, that was the 2024 prognosis — stood to ding his stock a bit, but with this year’s top CBs available nearing their 30th birthdays, Samuel was positioned to join Paulson Adebo in benefiting. But the spinal fusion matter changed the second-generation CB’s trajectory. Samuel had visited the Cardinals and Saints in the spring, and he drew Dolphins interest following those meetings. But it took a midseason clearance for a team to pull the trigger on a deal.

PFF graded the 5-foot-10 defender as a top-30 corner in 2022 and ’23. Though Samuel gave up seven touchdowns as the closest defender during the ’22 season, he made a memorable contribution in the playoffs by intercepting Trevor Lawrence three times — albeit during a game that featured a 27-point Bolts blown lead. Samuel has shown playmaking ability, intercepting six passes from 2021-23 and totaling at least 11 passes defensed during each of those three seasons.

The former second-round pick will have seen an injury take him off the field for a sizable chunk of two seasons, and a “prove it” deal ahead of an age-27 season would further impede his chances of cashing in. This profiles as an important stretch for Samuel, who may soon be asked to be part of the Steelers’ effort to hold off the Ravens in the AFC North.

Continuing to make noteworthy changes at the safety position, the Steelers have waived Juan Thornhill, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. Thornhill will go through waivers. If no team claims him, he’ll become a free agent.

The Steelers have shaken things up at safety since starter DeShon Elliott suffered a serious knee injury in Week 8. Elliott is now on IR.

Shortly after losing Elliott, the Steelers acquired Kyle Dugger from the Patriots on Oct. 28. Dugger has since stepped into a starting role next to longtime cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who transitioned to free safety during a Week 9 win over the Colts.

With Dugger and Ramsey taking over at safety, Thornhill worked exclusively on special teams against Indianapolis and in Pittsburgh’s loss to the Chargers on Sunday. The 30-year-old started in one of nine games, logged a 48.5% snap share on defense, and totaled 38 tackles this season before the Steelers moved on from him.

After coming off the board in the second round of the 2019 draft, Thornhill divided his first six NFL seasons between Kansas City and Cleveland. He served as a full-time starter on two of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning teams before spending two years with the Browns.

The Browns released Thornhill last offseason, leading him to the Steelers on a one-year, $3MM deal. Although his union with the Steelers didn’t work out, Thornhill – who has 75 career starts and eight interceptions – could be attractive to safety-needy clubs down the stretch. If a team claims him, it would take on the remainder of his league-minimum base salary.

With Thornhill on his way out, the Steelers claimed safety Sebastian Castro off waivers from the Buccaneers on Monday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com relays. Castro signed with the Steelers as an undrafted rookie from Iowa in late April, but the Buccaneers plucked him off their practice squad on Sept. 30. He appeared in one game with the Bucs and totaled six snaps (all on special teams). Castro will join Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers among the Steelers’ depth options at safety.

Whenever Aaron Rodgers‘ career ends, he will officially retire as a member of the Packers. His current team could spend another season with him atop the QB depth chart, though.

It was reported late last month the Steelers would be open to re-signing Rodgers for 2026. The future Hall of Famer took a one-year deal to head to Pittsburgh, and he stated before the campaign began he expected to hang up his cleats once the season ended. If a different approach were to be taken, the Steelers would welcome it.

Taking previous reports one step further, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports writes the team “hopes” Rodgers will continue playing next season. Pittsburgh entered the year without a long-term succession plan in place under center, but a second season with Rodgers at the helm would give the team more time to establish one. Not long from his 42nd birthday, the four-time MVP has given the Steelers a consistent presence at the QB spot, especially compared to their other post-Ben Roethlisberger passers.

Rodgers was not a lock to play in 2025, and he spoke with other teams (including the Vikings, reported to be his preferred destination) before joining the Steelers. He has delivered strong showings across the board while remaining healthy and leading the team to a 5-3 record. Provided Rodgers continues to enjoy a productive campaign, it would come as little surprise if a mutual interest were to emerge regarding a deal covering 2026.

The Steelers allowed Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to depart in free agency, reuniting with Mason Rudolph along the way. He was made aware of Pittsburgh’s Rodgers interest but signed a two-year deal nevertheless. The Steelers also added a developmental arm in the form of sixth-rounder rookie Will Howard. The Ohio State product has yet to see any time on the field, and that is likely to remain the case with Rodgers and Rudolph healthy.

Pittsburgh’s defense played a key role in the team’s win against the Colts but in general the unit has not lived up to expectations. If that continues, the Steelers’ offense will face increased pressure. Rodgers has done well to date, and Jones cautions the team’s approach will depend on how the coming weeks play out. At this point, though, efforts to continue Rodgers’ career for one more year can be expected after the current campaign comes to an end.

The Steelers were reportedly one of the most aggressive clubs in pursuing a wide receiver at this year’s trade deadline, and they were in on the Raiders’ Jakobi Meyers before Las Vegas shipped the contract-year wideout to the Jaguars. Ultimately, Pittsburgh did not swing a trade for a player to complement Aaron Rodgers’ contingent of pass catchers.

Pittsburgh did sign Marquez Valdes-Scantling shortly before the deadline, and according to Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show, the club was at least somewhat close to adding a receiver. However, that unnamed player ultimately stayed with his current team.

The Titans’ Calvin Ridley or the Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle could have been the receiver in question, as both players were connected to the Steelers in the run-up to the deadline but were not traded. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Pittsburgh did call Miami to discuss Waddle, joining the Broncos and the Bills as known suitors of the 2021 first-rounder.

We heard just this morning that the high price that Dolphins interim GM Champ Kelly set on Waddle was a first- and third-round pick (and, in the case of the division-rival Bills, who did offer a package including those selections, Kelly wanted even more). Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports believes multiple non-Buffalo teams would have been willing to make the deal if the third-rounder were not part of the equation, and despite some chatter that the ‘Fins may have been prepared to lower their asking price as the deadline got closer, they obviously could not come to terms with any interested clubs.

We may never know if the Steelers were one of the teams prepared to pony up a first-rounder for Waddle. In any event, Rodgers & Co. will have to content themselves with the Valdes-Scantling addition as they seek to retain control of the AFC North.

Per Kaboly, the Steelers thought MVS would sign with them in August, after he was released by the Seahawks. The 31-year-old had previously acknowledged he had to choose between San Francisco and Pittsburgh, and at the time, he saw the 49ers as the better fit. 

He wound up playing in five games with the 49ers, catching four balls for 40 yards. He eventually was released with an injury settlement.