Steelers add defensive lineman Abdullah Anderson to their 2021 offseason roster

The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to add to their 2020 offseason roster by signing defensive end Abdullah Anderson.

Unlike some of the Steelers recent signings, Anderson has previously logged regular-season playing time in the NFL. Undrafted out of Bucknell in 2018, Anderson landed with the Chicago Bears and was a member of the practice squad his first season. Bouncing between the practice squad and the 53-man roster in 2019, Anderson appeared in six games where he had 1.0 sacks and four tackles on 106 defensive snaps. Signed back to the Bears’ practice squad to start the 2020 season, Anderson was released after Week 1, but with signed to the Minnesota Vikings practice squad a week later. Anderson was elevated from the practice squad and appeared in one game for Minnesota in 2020 where he played 10 defensive snaps but did not appear on the stat sheet.

Anderson will find himself in a very crowded defensive line room for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Keeping an extra player throughout the 2020 season on the active roster, the Steelers have returned all seven players from last season as well as Calvin Taylor and Demarcus Christmas off of the 2020 practice squad. The Steelers also added defensive end T.J. Carter last week.

Contract specifics were not announced by the Steelers at the time of Anderson’s signing. Based on his years in the NFL, Anderson may not even land in the top 51 salaries for the Steelers. If the contract does crack the top 51, it would be for a minimal addition on the salary cap after roster displacement. Additionally, Anderson‘s contract is not likely to be enough to enter into the compensatory formula.

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