Tuesday, August 8
Elliott signed: The Steelers signed safety Jalen Elliott. In a corresponding move, the team Waived/Injured receiver Ja'Marcus Bradley.
Elliott originally signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame.
He spent his rookie season on the Lions practice squad and was elevated to the active roster for two games, and later signed to the 53-man roster. He played in a total of eight games, starting one.
Elliott signed with the New England Patriots during training camp in 2022. He played in the preseason but was released prior to the start of the regular season. Elliott also spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Elliott played in 51 games for the Fighting Irish, recording 173 tackles, 96 of them solo stops, six interceptions and a forced fumble.
Wednesday, August 2
Two signed, Trice to IR: The Steelers signed safety Trenton Thompson and cornerback Isaiah Dunn, and placed rookie Cory Trice Jr. on the Reserved/Injured List after he was injured in practice on Tuesday. In addition, the team Waived/Injured running back Alfonzo Graham.
Thompson, who played at San Diego State, signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent most of the 2022 season on the practice squad, playing in one game.
He played in 57 games at San Diego State, starting 31, and finished 191 tackles, 125 of them solo stops, 12 tackles for a loss, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and a sack.
Dunn, who played at Oregon State, signed with the New York Jet as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2021 NFL Draft. He played in 12 games for the Jets, and also spent time with the Seattle Seahawks, where he dressed for five games before an injury finished his 2022 season.
At Oregon State he played in 33 games, recording 115 tackles and 18 passes defensed.
Trice was drafted by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Purdue, where he appeared in 34 games, starting 24. He was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection in 2022 by the coaches and media. He was also a third-team All-Big Ten selection by Pro Football Focus.
Trice started 13 games in 2022, recording 34 tackles, two interceptions and a team-high 12 passes defensed.
Tuesday, August 1
Making moves: The Steelers signed former San Diego State running back Greg Bell and Penn State running back John Lovett.
Bell originally signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft.
Bell played two seasons at San Diego State after transferring from Nebraska. While at San Diego State he had 358 carries for 1,728 yards and 15 touchdowns in 21 games. In 2021 he carried the ball 245 times for 1,091 yards and nine touchdowns.
Lovett was originally signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft.
Lovett played one season at Penn State after transferring from Baylor following the 2020 season. He played in nine games for Penn State in 2021, carrying the ball 52 times for 177 yards and adding nine receptions for 36 yards. While at Baylor he started 20 of 42 games and carried the ball 355 times for 1,803 yards and 17 touchdowns.
In a related move, the team released running back Jason Huntley.
Sunday, July 30
Alexander signed: The Steelers signed free agent linebacker Kwon Alexander to a one-year contract.
Alexander is entering his ninth season in the NFL after being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Alexander has played in 95 career games, starting 86 of them. He has 12.5 career sacks, eight interceptions, 11 forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.
Alexander played for the New York Jets in 2022, seeing action in 17 games with 12 starts. He finished the season with 69 tackles, 42 of them solo stops, six tackles for a loss, one pass defense, one forced fumble and half a sack.
Before signing with the Jets, he spent the 2019 and part of the 2020 season with the San Francisco 49ers. He was traded by the 49ers to the New Orleans Saints mid-way through the 2020 season, spending the remainder of that season and the 2021 season with the Saints.
He spent his first four seasons with the Bucs, starting all 46 games he played in. He recorded seven sacks and six interceptions over the four years, adding 22 passes defensed, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
To make room for him on the roster the team released offensive tackle Jarrid Williams.
Stepping away: The Steelers have placed fullback Monte Pottebaum on the Reserve/Retired List, it was announced on Sunday.
Pottebaum was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. He played in 45 games in four seasons at Iowa, starting 13. He had 20 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. He also added 10 receptions for 85 yards. Pottebaum started out as a linebacker at Iowa but switched to fullback in 2019. He won the Coaches Appreciation Award for special teams in 2022 and the Team Hustle Award on offense in 2021 and 2022. Pottebaum grew up cheering for the Steelers.
