The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a great offseason. They went against the norm, filling numerous holes early in free agency, targeting a few veterans to shore up things on the defensive side of the ball.
During the 2023 NFL Draft, they once again found a lot of success. Holes that remained on the roster were shored up, such as offensive tackle where they selected Broderick Jones in the first round after making a trade-up with the New England Patriots. They recouped the fourth-round pick it cost to move up later on in the draft.
The roster moves haven’t stopped since the draft. Pittsburgh remains active working the waiver wire and making changes to the bottom of their roster as they prepare for offseason activities.
While fans may not recognize some of the names being on the move, this is an important time for organizations to fill out their rosters and potentially find a diamond in the rough. The Steelers are hoping they found one in the form of defensive lineman, Manny Jones.
Jones was claimed off of waivers by the Steelers on Tuesday following his release from the Arizona Cardinals on Monday. After going undrafted out of Colorado State in 2022, Jones was signed by the Cardinals and was on the active roster a few times during the season.
He ended up making four appearances as a rookie, playing 59 snaps defensively and registering six tackles. Alas, with a new regime in place, Arizona has elected to move on from Jones, releasing him after rookie minicamp.
Jones had a productive collegiate career with the Rams, totaling 181 tackles, 31 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks. He spent five seasons with the team, taking full advantage of the extra eligibility provided.
In a corresponding move, the Steelers placed defensive lineman Renell Wren on injured reserve, ending his season. Originally a fourth-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019, Wren has appeared in 13 games with two starts. Wren only got on the field for one snap during the 2022 season for Pittsburgh against the Baltimore Ravens on New Year’s Day.
