Pittsburgh Steelers make cuts, reduce roster to 80
The Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday announced that they’ve made a number of roster moves in accordance with the NFL’s deadline.
The league requires all NFL teams to trim their rosters down to 80 by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, which prompted the Steelers to release linebacker Calvin Bundage, offensive lineman Aviante Collins, running back Pete Guerriero and wide receiver Tyler Simmons; while waiving-injured safety Antoine Brooks Jr.
The Steelers’ final preseason game is on Friday night against the Panthers, a game that head coach Mike Tomlin labeled a “big game” for many players, who have one last opportunity to make an impression before the last round of cuts. The next roster cut takes each team down to its regular-season size, a 53-man roster, and it must be made by Tuesday, Aug. 31.
“It’s a big game for a lot of people,” Tomlin said. “It’s the culmination of a lot of work and guys getting an opportunity to make a last case for themselves in terms of whether or not they’re here and within that, the division of labor within the 53. We recognize the process is what it is. We realize the sand is running through the hourglass. There’s a lot of respect for that and a lot of attention to detail and urgency as we move forward with these days.”
Bundage signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent following the 2021 NFL Draft, but he was released on July 20. He resigned with the Steelers two days later. A former Oklahoma State linebacker, he started all 11 games in the 2020 season and led the Cowboys with seven sacks and six quarterback hurries, en route to an honorable mention All-Big 12 mention.
Collins signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and appeared in three games as a rookie, then two more in 2019. He spent the duration of the 2020 season on the Vikings practice squad, save for one game in which he was elevated to the roster but did not appear. He played in 49 games over five college seasons with TCU, and was also a collegiate shot-putter.
Guerriero took an unconventional route to the NFL, attending Monmouth University as a member of the track team — originally with no intentions of playing football. That soon changed after arriving on campus; he played two seasons as a running back at Monmouth before declaring for the NFL Draft. He went undrafted and signed with the Jets in 2020, where he spent the season on and off the roster.
Simmons, a former wide receiver at the University of Georgia, went undrafted but signed with the Steelers after impressing at Georgia’s Pro Day. He spent two weeks on the Texans’ practice squad in 2020 before being cut, and he did not sign with another team.
Brooks played in four games but did not start as a rookie in 2020 after he was selected with a sixth-round pick by the Steelers. A former safety at Maryland, he was twice named a second-team All-Big Ten selection. Brooks entered the preseason with a chance to start at nickel back — he even started the first preseason game — but was waived due to injury. He will revert to the Steelers’ injured list if he remains unclaimed for 24 hours.