The Steelers added a couple of players to their roster as they approach the final days of their offseason program.
They announced the signings of wide receiver Joaquin Davis and defensive back Daryl Porter on Thursday. Long snapper Cal Adomitis and offensive lineman Aiden Williams were cut in corresponding moves.
Davis spent time on the Vikings’ practice squad after going undrafted last year. Porter played three special teams snaps and one defensive snap in one regular season appearance for the Steelers last season. Porter has also spent time with the Bills since going undrafted in 2025.
With Adomitis off the roster, Christian Kuntz is now the only long snapper in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers added a punter to their roster on Tuesday.
They announced that they have claimed Aidan Laros off of waivers. Laros was dropped by the Buccaneers on Monday.
Laros, who is from South Africa, punted at Kentucky during his final two college seasons and went undrafted in April. He also played at Charlotte and Tennessee-Martin and had an average of 45.8 yards per punt over his entire collegiate run.
The Steelers released wide receiver Brandon Johnson in a corresponding move. Johnson had one catch for nine yards during a 2024 stint with the Steelers and he had 25 catches for 326 yards and five touchdowns in 20 games with the Broncos in his first two NFL seasons.
Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy will be coaching Aaron Rodgers again this season and another one of his Packers stars came up during last week’s OTAs.
Charles Woodson won defensive player of the year and helped the Packers to a Super Bowl while playing a versatile role in the back end of their defense. That came after a long and successful run at cornerback with the Raiders and changing positions gave his career a stellar second act.
Steelers secondary coach Joe Whitt was on the Packers’ staff in those days and he believes Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey “has a similar skill set, similar size, similar speed” to the Hall of Famer. Whitt said he expects the Steelers to use Ramsey in a similar fashion as a result and McCarthy concurred with that view of how Ramsey fits into their plans.
“When Charles came to Green Bay — when we moved him inside and he played the nickel — I thought his game went to a whole different level,” McCarthy said, via Chris Harlan of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I thought Jalen has the same ability. He’s a special piece to our defense. He can play nickel, he can play corner, he can play dime and can also play safety. I’m really looking forward to working with him, but yeah, I can see exactly why Joe says that. That’s an excellent comparison.”
Ramsey is still getting used to the new defense things and said that things “have to evolve,” but that he has taken pride in “being able to do different things” on the field and the prospect of a back half of a career similar to Woodson’s should be an appealing one.
The Steelers doubled up on veteran additions to their roster on Thursday.
In addition to signing tight end Robert Tonyan, they announced that they have signed linebacker Jamin Davis to their 90-man roster. Both players took part in this week’s minicamp on a tryout basis.
Davis had three tackles in two games for the Raiders last season. Their defensive coordinator Patrick Graham now has the same job on Mike McCarthy’s staff in Pittsburgh.
Davis appeared in 54 games for Washington and Minnesota before moving to the Raiders. He had 287 tackles, eight sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in that action.
The Steelers also announced that they have waived tight end Chamon Metayer.
The Steelers’ decision to move quickly to give linebacker Nick Herbig a four-year, $100 million extension makes the organization’s feeling about the 2023 fourth-round pick clear. As to two other pass rushers on the Pittsburgh roster, it raises questions.
It’s the first time that a team has given a backup a $100 million contract. Which means that Herbig possibly won’t be a backup on Mike McCarthy’s initial official depth chart.
Linebacker T.J. Watt, a first-round pick in 2017, signed a three-year, $123 million extension in 2025. He’s making $41 million per year.
In 2023, linebacker Alex Highsmith (a third-round pick in 2020) signed a four-year, $68 million extension. His new-money APY is $17 million.
The Steelers could keep all three of them, at least for a year. Or they could sit back and wait to see if another team makes them an offer, for either Watt or Highsmith.
Trading Watt would avoid $32 million in guaranteed pay for 2026, while triggering a $10 million cap charge in 2026 and a $20 million cap charge in 2027. Trading Highsmith would avoid his $14.5 million salary for 2026, with a cap charge of $5.6 million in 2026 and a $5.6 million cap charge in 2027.
Chances are the phone has already been ringing. That’s how it goes. Teams always explore whether other players are available, and what it could take to get them.
Given the value of pass rushers — and given that plenty of teams are looking for more of them (the Bears could use one, badly) — the Herbig deal becomes a de facto invitation for other teams to make an offer, for either Watt or Highsmith.
