Sitting at 7-0 doesn't mean the Steelers are sitting idle.
Once again, the team is making roster moves, adding linebackers Avery Williamson and Jayrone Elliott to the 53-man roster.
Williamson was acquired via a trade with the New York Jets on Monday, and after clearing protocol was able to be activated.
Williamson started six games for the Jets in 2020, and has 59 tackles, which includes 36 solo stops, as well as three pass defenses and one interception.
Williamson, 28, signed with the Jets as a free agent in 2018 and had a team-high 120 tackles that season. In 2019 he tore his ACL in his right knee in the preseason and had season ending surgery.
For his career he has started 81 games in his six seasons, which includes playing for the Jets and Tennessee Titans. He has a total of 546 tackles, 26 tackles for a loss and 14.5 sacks. He also has four interceptions, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 17 pass defenses.
Williamson was the Titans fifth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Kentucky, where he played with outside linebacker Bud Dupree. While at Kentucky he recorded 296 tackles, 10 for a loss, four sacks and two interceptions.
Elliott, who has been on the practice squad for the 2020 season including being activated for game day multiple times, originally signed with the Steelers during the 2019 training camp and was released when the team cut down to the 53-man roster. He was signed to the 53-man roster last Sept. but released a month later and then back and forth several more times.
Elliott played in five games during his time with the Steelers. In the 2019 preseason Elliott recorded six tackles, one sack and a fumble recovery that he returned 88 yards for a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers. In his four seasons in the NFL he has played in 43 games with the Steelers, Green Bay Packers (2014-16) and Dallas Cowboys (2017).
Elliott played college ball at Toledo where he saw action in 47 games. He had 124 tackles, 22.5 tackles for a loss and 16 sacks.
To make room for them on the roster the team released running back Trey Edmunds and offensive lineman Stefan Wisniewski, who was activated from the reserve/injured list earlier this week.
The team also elevated safety Antoine Brooks Jr. to the active/inactive roster for Sunday's game, the second straight game he will be active for. Brooks will revert back to the practice squad after the game without having to pass through waivers.
In a final move, the team signed defensive tackle Demarcus Christmas to the practice squad. Christmas was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He spent the entire 2019 season on the PUP list. He was waived prior to the start of the 2020 season, released, and then later returned to the practice squad. He was released by the Seahawks in October.
