Steelers begin signing players to futures contracts for the 2020 season

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed 11 players to futures contracts for the 2020 season, according to the Steelers PR Department. Additionally, they have reportedly signed two players who finished the season on the 53-man roster.

The two players who finished the season on the Steelers active roster have re-signed for the 2020 season according to Jacob Klinger of pennlive.com. Klinger reported preseason darling Tuzar Skipper had signed earlier on Monday as well as 2018 fifth-round draft pick Marcus Allen. The Steelers confirmed the signing of Skipper as he was included in the announcement of the 11 futures contracts.

Safety Marcus Allen was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018 in the fifth round out of Penn State. While he remained on the 53-man roster all of 2018, Allen only saw action in two games on the season as he was a regular on the Steelers inactive list.

For 2019, Allen did not make the Steelers 53-man roster but was on the practice squad for almost the entire season. Allen was promoted to the active roster when the Steelers parted ways with safety Kam Kelly after his arrest on December 20, 2019. Allen was not active his first week on the roster in Week 16 against the New York Jets but did get a helmet in Week 17 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Both undrafted and unsigned following the 2019 draft out of Toledo, outside linebacker Tuzar Skipper earned his way to Steelers training camp via rookie tryout. Leading the NFL with five sacks in the preseason, Skipper caught the attention of other NFL teams. Initially a part of the Steelers 53-man roster, the Steelers released Skipper the day before their Week 1 contest. While is was assumed the Steelers wanted to sign Skipper to the practice squad, he was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants.

Skipper appeared in six games for the Giants before being released after Week 7. Promptly signed back to the Giants’ practice squad, the Steelers signed Skipper to their active roster leading into Week 12. Although he remained on the Steelers 53-man roster for the remainder of the season, Skipper was not active on game day for the Steelers.

As for their roles for 2020, both the safety and outside linebacker position is one where the Steelers have some decisions to make regarding other players. Linebacker Bud Dupree is an unrestricted free agent for 2020 as is safety Sean Davis after coming off of a season in which he only appeared in one game before going on the Reserve/Injured List. In both cases, these players have the opportunity to carve out an important role for the Steelers if they both show they are up to the task.

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