Steelers adding a pair of defenders prior to their Week 15 game vs. the Panthers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a team reeling after their 16-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. Not only did it move their record to 5-8 on the season, but also saw them dealing with some injuries moving forward.

The most notable injury was to rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett (concussion), but another injury which hasn’t gotten nearly the attention is that of defensive end Chris Wormley. Wormley suffered a knee injury during the game vs. Baltimore, and Mike Tomlin confirmed on Tuesday the injury will require surgery.

With Wormley likely heading to Injured Reserve (IR), it makes sense the Steelers will add to the defensive line. They are doing so by signing defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall off the New York Jets practice squad. A move that will require Marshall to be placed on the Steelers’ 53-man roster, and stay there for at least three weeks.

This per Field Yates of ESPN:

A sixth-round draft pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Marshall appeared in four games his rookie season where he played 76 defensive snaps and had two tackles. In 2022, Marshall played 82 snaps over three games in the preseason where he had one sack, five tackles, and one batted pass. Marshall did not make the Jets roster, but was signed to the practice squad.

Outside of Marshall, the Steelers are also adding a familiar face in outside linebacker Ola Adeniyi to their roster. Adeniyi was recently released by the Tennessee Titans, and will be a welcome addition to the defense, especially with Malik Reed nursing injury.

Undrafted out of Toledo in 2018, Adeniyi began his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers but landed on the injured reserve in his first season only to return late in the year. In three years with the Steelers from 2018 to 2020, Adeniyi played in 32 games with one start where he had three forced fumbles and 25 tackles. Playing 215 defense of snaps over three seasons, Adeniyi was more of a special teams player as he had 508 special team snaps. Landing with the Tennessee Titans the last two seasons, Adeniyi appeared in 19 games with one start on 276 defensive snaps and 341 on special teams. In his time in Tennessee, Adeniyi had 2.5 sacks with 25 tackles and a pass defensed.

Expect corresponding roster moves when these become official from the organization, one of which would likely be Wormley heading to IR. As for Adeniyi, it would depend on whether the Steelers add him to the practice squad, or to their active roster.

In other words, be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Carolina Panthers in Week 15.