Category Archives: Steelers Signings

Brett Keisel

Steelers Put Brett Keisel On IR, Sign DE Clifton Geathers

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The Steelers have placed veteran defensive end Brett Keisel on injured reserve today. Keisel suffered what’s believed to be a torn triceps during yesterday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints.

https://twitter.com/steelers/status/539518742766419969

The loss of Keisel will be felt on different levels. The 36 year old DE has been playing some good football these past few weeks, and his veteran leadership on the field will be missed. To make matters worse, the Steelers have lost most of their defensive line depth in the past couple weeks with the losses of Josh Mauro and Nick Williams.

To add depth on the defensive line, the team has signed DE Clifton Geathers. Geathers was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2010, and has played for Miami (2010), Dallas (2010-11), Indianapolis (2012), Philadelphia (2013) and Washington (2014). Geathers is listed at 6’9″, 299 lbs. He’s played in 37 games over the course of his career.

steelers

RB Josh Harris Promoted From Practice Squad

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As expected, the team has signed Josh Harris to the 53 man roster. Harris has been on the practice squad since the start of the season. The 6’0″, 206 lb running back saw 32 snaps over the 3 games he was dressed for during preseason. Look for the Steelers to at least add another running back to the practice squad, likely one they’re familiar with, over the coming days.

derek moye

Steelers Release Derek Moye From Practice Squad, Send Richardson To IR

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The Steelers have released everyone’s favorite underdog wide receiver Derek Moye from the practice squad today. The team also placed rookie CB Shaq Richardson on the practice squad IR list. Richardson’s injury hasn’t been officially disclosed.

With the 3 available roster spots, the team has signed DE Ethan Hemer, DB Jordan Sullen and OL Adam Gettis. Hemer was signed by the Steelers as an UDFA in May. The DE was with the team throughout training camp and survived the first round of cuts before ultimately being released at the end of August.

Gettis was drafted by the Redskins in the 5th round of the 2012 draft. The journeyman guard saw limited playing time in 2013 and was released by the Redskins during their first round of roster cuts this summer.

Jordan Sullen is a 6’0″, 200lb cornerback from Tulane. He signed a UDFA contract with the Broncos in May, but didn’t make the squad. He played in every preseason game for the Broncos.

Steelers news

Steelers Announce Practice Squad Signings

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The Steelers have signed 10 players to their practice squad according to the team. Here is the list:

WR C.J. Goodwin
WR Derek Moye
OL Alejandro Villanueva
CB Shaquille Richardson
S Ross Ventrone
DE Josh Mauro
DE Nick Williams
RB Josh Harris
TE Rob Blanchflower
LB Howard Jones

No real surprises here outside of Villanueva. If you recall my post from earlier this week, Villanueva is an Army Ranger who’s served multiple tours in Afghanistan. He was with the Philadelphia Eagles for training camp as a defensive end. He played multiple positions for the Army Black Knights, mainly offensive tackle. The Black Nights converted him into a receiver, and he played some defensive end there as well.

The Steelers resume practice Monday morning.

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RB Josh Harris Appears To Have Been Added To Steelers Practice Squad

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Recently waived running back Josh Harris implies that he has been signed to the Steelers practice squad.

Harris was signed by the Steelers at the end of July and saw limited carries during preseason. Of his 8 rushing carries, he totaled 41 yards, 31 of which came on a break out run against Carolina. The announcement hasn’t been confirmed yet.

jordan-zumwalt-steelers

Steelers Claim CB B.W. Webb Off Waivers, Jordan Zumwalt To IR

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The Steelers have claimed former Cowboys cornerback B.W. Webb off of waivers. Webb was waived yesterday by Dallas. The 5’11” cornerback was drafted by the Cowboys in the 4th round of the 2013 draft. This move is very likely related to Brice McCain getting injured last night. McCain left the game early with a groin injury. Webb is a capable special teamer. The Steelers are familiar with Webb. They hosted him for a pre-draft visit last year.

To make room on the 75 man roster, the Steelers have placed LB Jordan Zumwalt on injured reserve. This move doesn’t come as a surprise, in fact, I thought the team was going to do it last week. Zumwalt was sidelined throughout the summer with a groin injury and only appeared in the first of the 4 preseason matches.

Brett Keisel

Steelers Sign Brett Keisel To 2 Year Deal, Al Lapuaho Waived

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The Steelers have made yesterday’s news official by announcing the signing of Brett Keisel. The financial terms are not available, but it’s a 2 year deal for Keisel. Keisel will travel with the Steelers to Philadelphia on Thursday, but is not expected to play (obviously).

To make room for the signing on the 90 man roster, the team has waived defensive lineman Al Lapuaho. Lapuaho was signed by the team to a futures contract in January.

Keisel says that he’s been ‘training his tail off’ during the offseason. “It means a lot to be back,” said Keisel (via Steelers.com). “There really is no place like here, no place like home. It was tough, just the unknown. For them to give me the opportunity to come back means a lot to me and I can’t wait to get back to work. I still have a little time to not only get to know these men I am going to go to battle with, but just get back into football stuff. I feel great. I have been training my tail off with the thought that I am going to be back. It looks like all of that training has paid off.”

James Shaw

Steelers Sign OT Pocic, CB Nunley; WR Shaw Cut, OG Browning Waived

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The Steelers have made some roster moves this afternoon. The team has released WR James Shaw who was signed a couple weeks ago. OG Bryant Browning, who dislocated his shoulder in Saturday night’s game, has been waived/injured.

With the available roster spots, the team has signed OT Graham Pocic and CB Dayonne Nunley. Pocic is listed at 6’7, 310 lbs. He was an undrafted free agent out of Illinois who was signed by the St. Louis Rams last year. The Bears signed him in July, but waived him August 10th.

Nunley went undrafted out of Miaimi OH and was signed by the Chargers. He recorded 11 interceptions during his career with the Redhawks. Here are his performance numbers from his Pro Day this spring.

Height: 5084 Weight: 188
40 Yrd Dash: 4.55
20 Yrd Dash: 2.58
10 Yrd Dash: 1.56
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 17
Vertical Jump: 34 1/2
Broad Jump: 09’07”
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.29
3-Cone Drill: 6.69

The Steelers and Bengals were the only two teams in attendance for his pro day.

James Shaw

Steelers Sign WR James Shaw, Waive WR Danny Coale

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The Steelers have signed former Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Power wide receiver James Shaw. WR Danny Coale has been waived/injured.

Coale was Tunch Ilkin’s son in law. There is no word on the nature of his injury. According to Bob Labriola, Coale had a displaced fracture in one of his fingers which required surgery. Essentially, a displaced fracture is a fracture that changes the alignment or rotation of the bone(s). Coale was originally drafted by the Cowboys in the 5th round of the 2012 draft. He’ll most likely clear waivers and go the injured reserve list until the team reaches an injury settlement with him.

James Shaw is 5’11”, 195 lbs. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an UDFA last year and was with them through training camp. He played 15 snaps against the Steelers in preseason last summer, and had a few catches. He was signed to the Panthers practice squad after the season began, but was released shortly after.

Shaw played in 8 games for Pittsburgh’s AFL franchise this year. He had 21 receptions for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns. Shaw also saw time as a kick returner averaging 19.7 yards per return. Here’s a couple recent practice videos highlighting Shaw’s route running and pass catching abilities. He’s wearing #17.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKjGCfSAnDQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs0z–v7LKE

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Steelers Waive Alvester Alexander, Sign RB Jawan Jamison

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The Steelers have waived injured RB Alvester Alexander. The team has signed RB Jawan Jamison with the available roster spot. Alexander was originally signed by the Steelers last August, and later added to the practice squad. He started training camp on the PUP list due to a groin injury.

Last Friday Coach Tomlin said they’d monitor Alexander’s and Mitchell’s situations on a day to day basis. “[Alexander’s]  really in a similar circumstance. We’ve been monitoring both situations, and it’s nothing new to us, but obviously it’s not the type of start those guys are looking for. When they’re healthy and ready to go obviously we’ll put them back in the mix with the rest of them.”

Jawan Jamison was originally drafted in the 7th round of the 2013 draft by the Washington Redskins. At draft time, Jamison was listed at 5’7″, 203 lbs. He averaged over 4 yards per carry over his 2 year career at Rutgers, and left early in hopes to help support his mother who had breast cancer. He ran a 4.68 40 and 1.66 10 yard split at the combine which is less than good. While he doesn’t blow anyone away with a quick burst, he is a decisive cut-step lane runner. He was waived by the Redskins in March, after spending last season on their practice squad.

According to ESPN, “he did not report to camp in good shape” last year. You can view a couple of his college games below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRa1C6arprI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Mi962zwWdA