Derrek Tuszka claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans

As the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to shape their 2022 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad, there continues to be a wave of comings and goings in regards to the waiver process. After the Steelers claimed outside linebacker Jamir Jones off waivers on Thursday from where he was released for the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Tennessee Titans have claimed Derek Tuszka off waivers after the Steelers released him in order to make room for Jones.

With more time between the cut down date for the 53-man roster in 2021 and 2022 than there had been in previous years, there has been an increase in roster fluctuation with the increased time to get things set before teams start their official preparation next week.

When it comes to waivers in the Pittsburgh Steelers, they have had two players now picked up by other teams who they waived in Justin Layne by the New York Giants and now Tuska by the Titans. The Steelers only waiver claim so far for 2022 once teams cut down to 53 players was Jamir Jones.

With a fair number of players being claimed off waivers and creating additional cuts, the process has been continued to trickle down throughout various rosters. For example, the Steelers did not put in a waiver claim for any players with the initial round of releases from roster cutdowns on Tuesday. Jamir Jones initially made the Jaguars 53-man roster, but when Jacksonville claimed five players off of waivers he was one of the corresponding releases. With another 24 hours allowed for those players to be claimed, the Steelers put in to claim Jones and released Tuszka in the corresponding move. Now, one day later, Tuszka himself was claimed off waivers by the Titans.

When will this cycle ever end? Chances are things will calm down more over the weekend as the number of players being claimed on waivers has reduced each day since the flurry of moves on Wednesday. Additionally, teams are also setting their practice schedules for the days leading up to their Week 1 matchup.

During his time in Pittsburgh, Derrek Tuszka appeared in 15 games with the Steelers in 2021 where he played 247 defensive snaps and 194 on special teams. Tuszka had 18 tackles and 2.0 sacks in 2021, along with a forced fumble.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they fill out their practice squad and prepare for the Week 1 matchup vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.