One day after announcing the initial 53-man roster, it changed again.
The Steelers placed three players on the Reserved/Injured List, including offensive lineman Zach Banner, running back Anthony McFarland Jr. and defensive end Stephon Tuitt. All of them have missed time during training camp and the preseason.
With the open spots, the Steelers brought back three players who were released on Tuesday – offensive linemen Rashaad Coward and B.J. Finney and cornerback Arthur Maulet.
Coward was originally signed to a one-year contract in March. He spent the previous four years with the Chicago Bears, joining them as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2017 NFL Draft out of Old Dominion. Coward has played in 30 career games, starting 15, playing mainly at guard, but also has seen some work at tackle. Over the past two years he played in 29 games, starting 10 in 2019 and five in 2020. He started 11 games at right guard, three at left guard and one at right tackle. Coward spent the majority of his rookie season and all of the 2018 season on the practice squad, after switching from defensive to offensive line in his second year.
Finney signed with the Steelers in March, returning to the black and gold. Finney left the Steelers during free agency in 2020, signing with the Seattle Seahawks. He played in six games for the Seahawks last season, before being traded to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 28. Finney has played in 66 games in his career, the majority during his first four seasons with the Steelers. While in the black and gold, he started 13 of the 59 games he played in and his versatility has been a huge key, playing both center and guard. Finney originally signed with the team as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2015 out of Kansas State and spent his first season on the practice squad before making the 53-man roster in 2016.
Maulet had a strong camp and preseason after he was signed in the 2021 offseason after spending the last two seasons with the New York Jets. 2019. He played in 23 games over the two seasons with the Jets, starting 11 of them. In 2020 he had 23 tackles with a sack and an interception in 11 games, starting five of them. He entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Memphis, signing with the New Orleans Saints following the 2017 NFL Draft. He spent time with the Saints and Indianapolis Colts during the 2018 season, before heading to the Jets. For his career he has played in 34 games, starting 12, and has recorded 83 tackles, two sacks, seven pass defenses, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
