More than a dozen players who practiced and played with the Pittsburgh Steelers during training camp and the preseason will be sticking around.
GM Omar Khan confirmed a list of 13 players signed to the team’s practice squad as of the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 31.
It includes: Running backs Lew Nichols and Travis Homer; receivers Max Hurleman and Brandon Smith; tight end Lake McRee; offensive linemen Doug Nester and Steven Jones; defensive linemen Esezi Otomewo and Kyler Baugh; cornerback Doneiko Slaughter; safety Sebastian Castro; and linebackers Jacoby Windmon and Julius Welschof.
The Steelers cut all of them from the active roster ahead of the NFL’s
Sunday deadline to reduce roster sizes to the standard 53 players. The team can still add up to four more names to the practice squad before finalizing the group ahead of Week 1, when they face the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 13 at Acrisure Stadium. They will get an exemption for an extra spot because Welschof is an international pathway player.
Nicols and Homer led the backfield in two of three preseason games but were squeezed out of the active roster by rookie Eli Heidenreich, the team’s seventh-round selection who also has utility on special teams. He’ll be the lone backup behind top backs Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle for now.
Hurleman was a standout with 99 total receiving yards through the three contests against the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. He gave way to rookie Kaden Wetjen, who’s the lead kick returner on special teams, as well as Ben Skowronek, a Pro Bowl selection for his special teams play last season.
McRee opened some eyes working mostly with the backup quarterbacks. He caught a 38-yard pass from Drew Allar in the loss to the Jets on Aug. 21, then added a touchdown from Will Howard in the finale.
Defensively, Welschof had two sacks in the exhibition campaign.
Injuries will be the main factor in any of these players getting called up to the active roster at some point this season. Hurleman, Hurleman and Nichols would be most likely to earn promotions if rookies like Heidenreich and Wetjen struggle to find their footing.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steelers GM confirms Max Hurleman, Lew Nichols and more practice squad signings
